4 ms·

This is interesting actually, I didn't even know there was a free version of the business suite. I've been paying for years and really only use the email featur

This is interesting actually, I didn't even know there was a free version of the business suite. I've been paying for years and really only use the email feature. Mainly because I don't want the hassle of running a mail server etc. I think it's fair enough that Google might start charging for the service, and it's not a significant amount for sure, but what is quite startling is the short deadline. That seems excessive but I don't know when the small businesses were notified.

bko 4y ago
> I think it's fair enough that Google might start charging for the service The other upside is that it opens up room for competition. Take something like Google Analytics, a terrible product that is ubiquitous primarily because of the name and that its free. The cost of running the service isn't free and no other competitor could reasonably get enough benefits from the data to justify the cost. By giving the service away for free (at a loss?), Google crushes competitors. Besides I would much rather pay a small price for a product and understand their business model than to let them make money off my data through opaque means.
heretogetout 4y ago
Google announced that they would start charging back in January and extended the deadline by two months already. IMO this is plenty of time for small businesses that want to save $72/year per employee that needs their own email address. If they need more time they can pay a few bucks -- probably less than an hours wage per employee per month, anyway -- and find an alternative later.