Google Drive, the newest chapter in the continuing saga of the Google takeover, launched today. Whether its a well-played April Fools map application, a fun Google doodle, or a smartphone advancement, there is always excitement paired with new gadgets and tricks from Google. Excitement and then slight apprehension.
Google is awesome, that much we can agree on. I loyally use it as a browser, search engine, and verb.
However, Google’s rising power appears awesome in the biblical sense. Google as the omnipotent god striking the hearts of we poor laymen with intense awe and fear. We love Google, but we, as humans, often struggle to love something we don’t fully understand.
Google started in the search engine business, but every new application they release is outside of their expected area of influence. Who knows how long they could’ve sustained themselves as just a search engine? Rather than finding out, Google secured their profits and future by sticking their thumb into as many innovative pies that they could. Unfortunately, or sometimes fortunately in the case of MapQuest, as Google expands their reach many startups and independent applications whither and die. The “if you can’t buy ’em, beat ’em” mentality of Google (and Facebook) walks a fine line between terrific and terrifying. All of that power, information, and access in the hands of one company is a terrifying thought, I mean they literally have the earth at their fingertips. Now we are trusting them to store and protect our life’s work, genius ideas, or whatever else you may store on your Google Drive? It isn’t a stretch to foresee world domination and the rapture at the hands of Google.
On the other side of the coin, you have to respect the hell out of them for their dedication to progress…and profit, of course.
That being said, I am not a Google conspiracy theorist. Sure the company has made its share of mistakes: many-a privacy misstep, the atrociously dangerous and asinine Google glasses concept, and don’t even get me started on today’s Google Doodle (Gideon Sundback perfected the zipper, but why no love for Elias Howe who originally patented the concept?)
While I have an immense love and loyalty for Dropbox as the startup that arguably started it all, Google’s addition to the cloudscape has been a long time coming. Google Docs has already saved time, confusion, and carbon on countless projects for students, businesses, and housewives alike, but we all knew Google could, and would, do better.
I haven’t yet purchased my corner of the cloud through Google, my free DropBox subscription still suits my data storage needs just fine, but Google Drive’s prices, integration capabilities, and brand recognition may soon sway me.
Tagged with: awesome • blog • cloud • conspiracy • criticism • current events • drive • elias howe • google • google applications • google doodle • google drive • rapture • young copywriter
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