Apple announced new iCloud storage pricing was coming during its WWDC keynote presentation earlier this year, and for the first time we get to see just how much the company thinks a terabyte of online storage is worth. Users who need a full TB of iCloud storage will be paying US$19.99 a month, or twice what Dropbox users pay for the same amount.
Apple adds 500GB and 1TB options to iCloud storage
Apple's low end 5GB storage option is free, 20GB costs $0.99 a month, 200GB is priced at $3.99 a month, and 500GB costs $9.99 monthly.
Going with 5GB for the free storage option seems a little slim considering iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite will both rely more heavily on Apple's iCloud for file and photo management. Many users will likely find very quickly that they're running out of space and will need to pony up for one of the company's paid options.
In comparison, Dropbox offers only 2GB of storage for free, but Google's Google Drive comes with 15GB for free, and Microsoft's One Drive free storage option include 7GB.
Adding the 500GB and 1TB options to iCloud now, while more expensive than some competitors, makes sense considering iOS 8 will be available as a free download on September 17. With the higher storage demands Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system will bring -- as well as the soon to be released OS X Yosemite for the Mac -- those 500GB and 1TB options will be welcome (yet pricey) additions.