Google's Rumored Cloud Storage Service Would Complement Chrome OS

It's been rumored for years now that Google will launch a cloud-based storage service, similar to Dropbox's, and now multiple media outlets are reporting that the company is close to doing so. Although Google has not provided confirmation, The Wall Street Journal's report says: "Like Dropbox, Google's storage service, called Drive, is a response to the growth of Internet-connected mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and the rise of 'cloud computing,' or storing files online so that they can be retrieved from multiple devices, these people said." The people saying so are unnamed but it makes lots of sense for Google to launch this type of service, especially if the company still wants Chrome OS to succeed.

If you've ever used Dropbox, you know how useful it is for backing up files in the cloud, sharing files with remote users, and more. Dropbox became a hot Silicon Valley startup by arriving early with a useful cloud-focused service that it offered--in a basic version--for free. There are also multiple alternatives to Dropbox.

But Google's own cloud-based storage service would be an ideal complement to Chrome OS. As we've reported before, with Chrome OS, Google bet heavily on the idea that consumers and business users would have no problem storing data and using applications in the cloud, without working on the locally stored data/applications model that most people are used to. Here at OStatic, we always questioned the aggressively cloud-centric stance that Chrome OS is designed to take.

However, Google could create useful synergies between a new cloud-based storage service and Chrome OS, and there might even be room to give people storage incentives in the cloud if they choose Chrome OS. That kind of incentive might entice some businesses to adopt Chromebooks and Google's operating system.

The price-per-Gigabyte of storage has been dropping for many years, and it now represents a way that Google could spend very little to offer free incentives to adopt Chrome OS. Google hasn't confirmed the Drive service yet, but it makes tons of sense, and the folks at Dropbox should be watching all of this closely.