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1 hour unlimited participants group video call is fair. Google is a business and Meet must justify it's investment. I am vary of BigCorpGoogleApple as much as

1 hour unlimited participants group video call is fair. Google is a business and Meet must justify it's investment. I am vary of BigCorpGoogleApple as much as the next HNer, but this seems fair to me. Or perhaps my expectations were so low anticipating another product shut down ;)

2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
Can’t wait till I have to click “skip ads” twice during a meeting.
- demarq 5y ago
  the fun part is when the group call is interrupted by an ad based of a participants browsing habits "30% of our special ointment just for you!"
  - charcircuit 5y ago
    We have the technology to run different ads for each person.
    - tutfbhuf 5y ago
      But then you are in the middle of a presentation (screen sharing).
      - seg_lol 5y ago
        Product placement within the presentation itself. Or interstitials between slides.
    - demarq 5y ago
      are you sure?
  - throwaways885 5y ago
    https://goomics.net/335/ https://goomics.net/335/
  - da_big_ghey 5y ago
    Say "McDonald's!" to end commercial. https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/7k6v05/sony_patent_yell_a_brand_name_at_your_tv_to_skip/ https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/7k6v05/son...
    - ajot 5y ago
      https://old.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_a_verification_can/ https://old.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_...
- to11mtm 5y ago
  "Google Fi, Listen to my badly rhythmed jingle. Using buzzwords from a corporate meeting!"
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- WhyNotHugo 5y ago
  Zoom is pretty close, they require lots of training data (captcha) to join each meeting.
heavenlyblue 5y ago
Maybe Google should get a huge fine or be split for being a monopoly that uses it's market position to under-price the actual cost of providing services such as e-mail, video calls, etc. If Google wasn't dumping prices this way there would already be great alternative services that provide this, but it's hard for someone else to have a selling point when there's a huge conglomerate basically providing this service for free. I would say generally I am happy where this is going. The more Google makes decisions like these the more opportunities there are for customers to learn what they are actually "paying" for and they would be more willing to give away money for a better service.
- tallanvor 5y ago
  For a relatively low cost you can already get an account from Zoom, WebEx, or the like for a low price. Microsoft even offers options through Skype (although it's limited to 100 people and the calls are limited to 4 hours), and Teams Personal accounts also allow free calls with similar limits. Since these various services seem to be doing fine, it's hard to say there's a problem with competition in this space right now.
  - bnt 5y ago
    100 people, 4 hours.. that’s not a call, that’s a conference.
    - whatever_dude 5y ago
      Yes but what about when we need all hands on deck to brainstorm synergy ideas Bob? Better call a meeting with everybody.
    - anonymfus 5y ago
      Similar vibes from that Brennan Lee Mulligan's Skype CEO impression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI0w_pwZY3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI0w_pwZY3E
  - sundvor 5y ago
    Skype is all good and fun, until you just want to exit the application.
only_as_i_fall 5y ago
Charging is fair but the entire model of free service that turns into premium after a critical mass leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not sure how you could sensibly guard against this behavior but it seems anticompetitive.
- zinekeller 5y ago
  > Charging is fair but the entire model of free service that turns into premium after a critical mass leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It was clear that Meet for individuals' limits were waived due to COVID-19. They have done an announcement about lifting the limits and even stated that it was originally slated to end at September 30 last year. I was a bit surprised they extended it though.
- tyingq 5y ago
  Predatory pricing is the usual term.
- viztor 5y ago
  In Google's defense, they aren't the market leader, that's zoom, they are the market challenger. So by definition, they can't be anti-competitive in the market of video conferencing tools, even though Google's otherwise enormous.
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    You can definitely be anti-competitive as a market challenger. Uber (with their subsidised fairs) would the obvious example of that.
    - viztor 5y ago
      If anything, Uber was competitive instead of anti-competitive. Anti-competitive by definition only applies to potential monopoly. see FTC: https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/anticompetitive-practices https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/anticompetitive-practices

2muchcoffeeman 5y ago

Can’t wait till I have to click “skip ads” twice during a meeting.

demarq 5y ago
the fun part is when the group call is interrupted by an ad based of a participants browsing habits "30% of our special ointment just for you!"
- charcircuit 5y ago
  We have the technology to run different ads for each person.
  - tutfbhuf 5y ago
    But then you are in the middle of a presentation (screen sharing).
    - seg_lol 5y ago
      Product placement within the presentation itself. Or interstitials between slides.
  - demarq 5y ago
    are you sure?
- throwaways885 5y ago
  https://goomics.net/335/ https://goomics.net/335/
- da_big_ghey 5y ago
  Say "McDonald's!" to end commercial. https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/7k6v05/sony_patent_yell_a_brand_name_at_your_tv_to_skip/ https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/7k6v05/son...
  - ajot 5y ago
    https://old.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_a_verification_can/ https://old.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_...
to11mtm 5y ago
"Google Fi, Listen to my badly rhythmed jingle. Using buzzwords from a corporate meeting!"
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
WhyNotHugo 5y ago
Zoom is pretty close, they require lots of training data (captcha) to join each meeting.

heavenlyblue 5y ago

Maybe Google should get a huge fine or be split for being a monopoly that uses it's market position to under-price the actual cost of providing services such as e-mail, video calls, etc. If Google wasn't dumping prices this way there would already be great alternative services that provide this, but it's hard for someone else to have a selling point when there's a huge conglomerate basically providing this service for free. I would say generally I am happy where this is going. The more Google makes decisions like these the more opportunities there are for customers to learn what they are actually "paying" for and they would be more willing to give away money for a better service.

tallanvor 5y ago
For a relatively low cost you can already get an account from Zoom, WebEx, or the like for a low price. Microsoft even offers options through Skype (although it's limited to 100 people and the calls are limited to 4 hours), and Teams Personal accounts also allow free calls with similar limits. Since these various services seem to be doing fine, it's hard to say there's a problem with competition in this space right now.
- bnt 5y ago
  100 people, 4 hours.. that’s not a call, that’s a conference.
  - whatever_dude 5y ago
    Yes but what about when we need all hands on deck to brainstorm synergy ideas Bob? Better call a meeting with everybody.
  - anonymfus 5y ago
    Similar vibes from that Brennan Lee Mulligan's Skype CEO impression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI0w_pwZY3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI0w_pwZY3E
- sundvor 5y ago
  Skype is all good and fun, until you just want to exit the application.

only_as_i_fall 5y ago

Charging is fair but the entire model of free service that turns into premium after a critical mass leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not sure how you could sensibly guard against this behavior but it seems anticompetitive.

zinekeller 5y ago
> Charging is fair but the entire model of free service that turns into premium after a critical mass leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It was clear that Meet for individuals' limits were waived due to COVID-19. They have done an announcement about lifting the limits and even stated that it was originally slated to end at September 30 last year. I was a bit surprised they extended it though.
tyingq 5y ago
Predatory pricing is the usual term.
viztor 5y ago
In Google's defense, they aren't the market leader, that's zoom, they are the market challenger. So by definition, they can't be anti-competitive in the market of video conferencing tools, even though Google's otherwise enormous.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  You can definitely be anti-competitive as a market challenger. Uber (with their subsidised fairs) would the obvious example of that.
  - viztor 5y ago
    If anything, Uber was competitive instead of anti-competitive. Anti-competitive by definition only applies to potential monopoly. see FTC: https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/anticompetitive-practices https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/anticompetitive-practices