No More Free Amazon Cloud?

BearMountainBooks · 03-27-2015, 10:41 AM

Near as I can tell from the email I received this morning, there is no more free cloud (I use it to read samples).

Quote:

Thanks for being an Amazon Cloud Drive customer! Amazon Cloud Drive is introducing new unlimited storage plans.

You can now save all your photos in one place with the Unlimited Photos plan for $11.99/year, plus 5 GB for videos and files. Or, if you have more than photos that you need to keep safe, the Unlimited Everything plan is perfect for all your photos, video, files, and documents, for $59.99/year.

[button] Learn more

What happens to my current plan?
Your 5 GB plan is no longer available and has been replaced with a free 3-month trial of one of the Unlimited plans. Access to your existing files has not changed. You can continue to download and view your content. In order to upload new files you will need to pick one of the free 3-month trials.

Manage your Cloud Drive account

I can still access what I already have up there (couple of books that were free that I decided not to read). I find it interesting they don't offer ANY space for free. Are there other cloud drives that still have some free space?

HarryT · 03-27-2015, 11:02 AM

Thanks - that's interesting news, and ties in with an issue just reported in the Kindle forum. Seems reasonable that Amazon are going to try to monetise personal document storage, and $12/year seems reasonable enough.

BearMountainBooks · 03-27-2015, 11:10 AM

Hard drive storage is so cheap, I just use that. I only recently started using the cloud because of sampling. It was RIGHT there and they kind of pushed it--Want to start reading now in the cloud???

No big deal, but I was surprised they didn't leave 2 GB or something for free to get people into the habit of thinking they couldn't live without it.

HarryT · 03-27-2015, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

No big deal, but I was surprised they didn't leave 2 GB or something for free to get people into the habit of thinking they couldn't live without it.

I guess the idea is perhaps that people find Cloud storage of Amazon-bought books so useful, that they're going to pay to store personal docs. Even 2GB is still an awful lot if we're talking books: 1000 or so typical novels.

BearMountainBooks · 03-27-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I guess the idea is perhaps that people find Cloud storage of Amazon-bought books so useful, that they're going to pay to store personal docs. Even 2GB is still an awful lot if we're talking books: 1000 or so typical novels.

Probably so. I never thought about it. I just started using it since it was sitting right there. It's not a huge loss or even a really noticeable one. And apparently if you are a prime member you get storage so for a lot of Amazon users, they won't notice the change unless they cancel their prime.

HarryT · 03-27-2015, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Probably so. I never thought about it. I just started using it since it was sitting right there. It's not a huge loss or even a really noticeable one. And apparently if you are a prime member you get storage so for a lot of Amazon users, they won't notice the change unless they cancel their prime.

That's good to know. I never use personal docs myself (I sideload all my books via USB from Calibre), but the fact it's still available for Prime members is perhaps another "incentive" to join Prime.

DiapDealer · 03-27-2015, 11:24 AM

Note that the Unlimited Photos plan (plus 5Gb for videos and files) is included with Prime.

Not that that's very helpul for non-Prime users, but for Prime members like myself (who may have deleted that email without reading it and panicked a little when they saw this post), nothing is really changing.

realthk · 03-27-2015, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Seems reasonable that Amazon are going to try to monetise personal document storage, and $12/year seems reasonable enough.

I don't think it reasonable at all: free cloud for personal documents (and sync between several devices) was a strong selling point of Kindle e-book readers. This will produce lot of angry customers, and much fewer future Kindle buyers.

Glorfindel · 03-27-2015, 11:50 AM

So if I'm reading this right, emailed news from calibre will still work, but there will not be a copy on amazon's servers?

realthk · 03-27-2015, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

So if I'm reading this right, emailed news from calibre will still work, but there will not be a copy on amazon's servers?

It does not work at all since they announced this service won't be free anymore...

HarryT · 03-27-2015, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by realthk

I don't think it reasonable at all: free cloud for personal documents (and sync between several devices) was a strong selling point of Kindle e-book readers. This will produce lot of angry customers, and much fewer future Kindle buyers.

I wonder how many people buy a Kindle specifically because of free personal document storage? I may be wrong, but I strongly suspect the answer is "very few".

Josieb1 · 03-27-2015, 12:43 PM

I was just thinking I haven't received an email but as I'm on Prime does that mean I won't?

I don't save photos at all but I do use the Cloud for personal documents. I have about 390+ stored and that's probably going to go up. I read on both my Voyage and my HDX so I need the Cloud as I have a couple of thousand non Amazon bought books.

Josieb1 · 03-27-2015, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I wonder how many people buy a Kindle specifically because of free personal document storage? I may be wrong, but I strongly suspect the answer is "very few".

I did. I like whispersync and on holiday I'll be reading the same book on my H20 and my Voyage and probably my HDX depending where I am.

Josieb1 · 03-27-2015, 12:58 PM

Actually this doesn't seem to have hit the UK yet.

andyh2000 · 03-27-2015, 01:03 PM

If this does hit the UK and it disables free whisper-sync of "personal docs" (i.e. books not bought from Amazon, emailed web articles etc.) I'm going to be a bit upset.

Andrew

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03-27-2015, 11:02 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Thanks - that's interesting news, and ties in with an issue just reported in the Kindle forum. Seems reasonable that Amazon are going to try to monetise personal document storage, and $12/year seems reasonable enough.

03-27-2015, 11:10 AM	#3
BearMountainBooks Maria Schneider Posts: 3,746 Karma: 26439330 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Near Austin, Texas Device: 3g Kindle Keyboard	Hard drive storage is so cheap, I just use that. I only recently started using the cloud because of sampling. It was RIGHT there and they kind of pushed it--Want to start reading now in the cloud??? No big deal, but I was surprised they didn't leave 2 GB or something for free to get people into the habit of thinking they couldn't live without it.

03-27-2015, 11:24 AM	#7
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,891 Karma: 207182180 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Note that the Unlimited Photos plan (plus 5Gb for videos and files) is included with Prime. Not that that's very helpul for non-Prime users, but for Prime members like myself (who may have deleted that email without reading it and panicked a little when they saw this post), nothing is really changing.

03-27-2015, 11:50 AM	#9
Glorfindel Force-Aware Elf Posts: 4,762 Karma: 11557898 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Valinor Device: Kindle 4 w/SO	So if I'm reading this right, emailed news from calibre will still work, but there will not be a copy on amazon's servers?

03-27-2015, 12:43 PM	#12
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,100 Karma: 18051062 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kindle Scribe, Coloursoft, PW SE, Kindle 6, Kobo Libra 2, Clara BW	I was just thinking I haven't received an email but as I'm on Prime does that mean I won't? I don't save photos at all but I do use the Cloud for personal documents. I have about 390+ stored and that's probably going to go up. I read on both my Voyage and my HDX so I need the Cloud as I have a couple of thousand non Amazon bought books.

03-27-2015, 12:58 PM	#14
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,100 Karma: 18051062 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kindle Scribe, Coloursoft, PW SE, Kindle 6, Kobo Libra 2, Clara BW	Actually this doesn't seem to have hit the UK yet.

03-27-2015, 01:03 PM	#15
andyh2000 Avid reader Posts: 897 Karma: 6543210 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 / Kindle Paperwhite / TCL Nxtpaper 14	If this does hit the UK and it disables free whisper-sync of "personal docs" (i.e. books not bought from Amazon, emailed web articles etc.) I'm going to be a bit upset. Andrew