Google Preparing Online ‘GDrive’ Storage Solution For Release, Rumors Say

Since Tuesday morning, the tech blog world has been buzzing about the supposed imminent release of Google’s online storage service, which it sensibly intends to add to its software suite of email, word processing, and photo hosting utilities.

Well, we’re not so sure "sensible" is the way to describe it. Despite its establishment of a niche of adopters, online storage hasn’t very much taken off at all.

The general hesitation is quite understandable, too. For one, users have yet to fully trust cloud-based systems with their normally locally-held data.

Not that they feel as if such digital information could be lost. No, the redundancy of Web-based solutions makes for guaranteed safety in that respect. Instead, many potential users raise privacy concerns. With continual revelations of compromised files being made all over the globe, it’s no surprise that many naturally feel safer holding personal and confidential bits in external hard disks and such under their own supervision. Of course, with new network-connected storage devices, data can certainly be looted by ingenious (and sometimes stupidly simple) hackery. In all, however, there’s a definite inclination to keep items solely in one’s possession.

And then there’s the argument to be had over whether or not standalone storage services are even necessary. Web mail users on the whole don’t wish to have archives of messages stored elsewhere other than their virtual inboxes for safekeeping, or even look to subscribe to online storage utilities to expand the given limits of their chosen services. Rather, they’d simply wish to see the glass ceilings on existing mail accounts lifted further, with or without cost, depending on personal requirements.

The same goes for things like Web-based productivity software and media hosting solutions. Why deal with something of a GDrive-like makeup if you can really just have more storage on tap for particular applications?

Now, there is a benefit to maintaining one storage space, as, say, Gmail and Picasa Web both do. Maintaining a remote location where all your virtual documents, photos, emails, etc. naturally reside is very attractive possibility. But such all-in-one accessibility is expected to come about in the near future anyway. Google does wish the user to remain within its own universe as much as possible, and in order to ensure that that be so, it’s clearly imperative that the company pool multiple resources together for users’ convenience.

So this GDrive item expected to arrive soon? It likely won’t be all that special. It’s hardly a groundbreaking idea, and will, in its basic structure, mirror numerous other utilities, like AOL’s Xdrive, Apple’s iDisk, Box.net, and Microsoft’s SkyDrive. So I presume it will be passed over by the majority of Google’s users. Just as those similar items mentioned above have been (thus far).

Looking forward to Google’s storage service? Indifferent? Share your comments below.