Microsoft 'Nerfs' OneDrive by Reducing Storage Tiers and Eliminating Unlimited for Office 365 Users

[dgstorm]

Lately Microsoft has been doing a bang up job at impressing tech pundits across the industry with new innovations as well as fast and aggressive moves into new markets. Of course, that doesn't mean the company is immune to a hiccup or two. Microsoft's latest announcement is a head scratcher. They basically just "nerfed" OneDrive with their latest announcement.

They are slashing the storage tiers across the board with OneDrive and are even removing Unlimited Storage for Office 365 subscribers. Here's the breakdown of their new structure for the cloud service:

• Starting now, Office 365 Home, Personal, or University subscribers only get 1TB of OneDrive storage instead of unlimited. If you're a subscriber with more than 1TB stored, you'll be notified and given 12 months to reduce your files back to 1TB. If you find that the change doesn't suit you, you can ask for a refund.
• In early 2016, 100GB and 200GB plans will no longer be available to new users and will be replaced with a 50GB plan at $1.99 monthly. If you've subscribed to the one of these plans already, you'll still be able to keep them.
• In early 2016, free OneDrive storage will decrease from 15GB to 5GB for all users and the 15GB camera roll storage bonus will be discontinued. If you're a current user with more than 5GB stored, you'll be able to keep your files for 12 months after the changes take effect. Plus you can redeem a free one-year Office 365 Personal subscription with 1TB of OneDrive storage.

Microsoft claims there is a valid reason it is backtracking on OneDrive features. Apparently, a large number of users were abusing the system by uploading ridiculous amounts of data to their accounts. Users apparently backed up 75TB of data by backing up multiple PCs and saving entire movie and DVR libraries. Still, we can't help but feel like this is a misstep for the folks in Redmond. It's not exactly the best way to generate positive customer retention to take stuff away from them. What do you think?

Source: OneDrive

 

[albertan_bear]

Bye bye ... Back to Dropbox.

What comes next? Monthly payments for Windows 10??

 

[Kif]

Blaming your customers is never a winning strategy.

 

[daniielrp]

How can you 'abuse' unlimited storage? If you can't handle people using it don't advertise that amount of storage.

 

[VickiFL]

Well, that just sucks! Guess I'll be using my micro SD cards more.

 

[toaf]

i think that's why they allways put a * in the end user license agreement.

*= we can change anything we want whenever we want.

 

[GreyFox7]

No, no, we meant virtually unlimited. loose translation, you can store all the word, excel, ppt docs you can make yourself. Meaning more than any reasonable person would ever need.

You would think that by now people would know and come to expect abusers of systems. It's ingrained behavior, to go where no man (or woman) has gone before, to exceed the limits of unlimited, to waste resources in insane new ways just because you can. Well, now you can't.

Smorgasbord, all you can eat.
No, sorry sir, you cant come back.
​

This is not new, it's happened in every system of giveaways ever implemented. Takers take, hey we're entitled to everything you have and then some.

 

[dajogejr]

Sorry, I look at this another way.
The same folks that abused unlimited cell phone data are the reason we have capped plans now.
But...that's just me. I have about 50gb on mine which is mostly photos backed up...

 

[Surface 3]

Well I my teachers aren't gonna be happy about this.

 

[David S]

Can there be any more shameful approach? Last year I purchased a Surface w/ MS type keyboard & MS BT mouse. It's limited disk space was offset by the offer of 30GB Onedrive cloud storage. I don't have time to read forums. Just today I received email notice of drop to 5GB -- no other notice. After spending all that cash, one would think for sure I was a "fan". Used to be fans bought tickets. Now I guess all you have to do is read and comment about a "team" on a blog.

Without the 30GB cloud storage, the Surface is much less useful. Might as well pitch it. One would think MS would at least directly inform a current "paying customer" of an offer to extend the service -- might help keep that customer coming back. Now, can't imagine why I would ever want to buy an MS device ever again.

MS -- do the right thing. Give current Surface owners back 30GB storage. Want to keep people buying your Surface products? Give them 30GB -- don't make them hunt for coupons on blogs.

 

[jnjroach]

Can there be any more shameful approach? Last year I purchased a Surface w/ MS type keyboard & MS BT mouse. It's limited disk space was offset by the offer of 30GB Onedrive cloud storage. I don't have time to read forums. Just today I received email notice of drop to 5GB -- no other notice. After spending all that cash, one would think for sure I was a "fan". Used to be fans bought tickets. Now I guess all you have to do is read and comment about a "team" on a blog.

Without the 30GB cloud storage, the Surface is much less useful. Might as well pitch it. One would think MS would at least directly inform a current "paying customer" of an offer to extend the service -- might help keep that customer coming back. Now, can't imagine why I would ever want to buy an MS device ever again.

MS -- do the right thing. Give current Surface owners back 30GB storage. Want to keep people buying your Surface products? Give them 30GB -- don't make them hunt for coupons on blogs.

There was a program/offer to do just that, you should have received an email on the how. Unfortunately it was only offered to January 30. My guess your email is stuck in your SPAM Folder.

This was the link: OneDrive

 

[David S]

There was a program/offer to do just that, you should have received an email on the how. Unfortunately it was only offered to January 30. My guess your email is stuck in your SPAM Folder.

This was the link: OneDrive

Thank you jnjroach for your reply. I did not receive such email. I searched all files including spam, junk, deleted and saved emails from summer 2015 to today. Microsoft and OneDrive are in my safe list. I can assure you, no email was sent to me regarding this topic.