Only for heavy business users at first, but is Google’s “everything’s free” mantra starting to sag at the edges?
The BBC reports on Google’s latest move, which will see users of Google Maps embedded on web pages — think businesses, tourist attractions, that sort of thing — charged if they’re using the service more than 25,000 times per day. The suggested charge, according to the report, would be around $4 per day.
OK, most of us are unlikely to personally use Google Maps 25,000 times per day unless we’re seriously lost. Google’s own estimates are that the 25,000+ club consists of only around 0.35 per cent of users, total. Still, it does show that Google’s experimenting with additional revenue sources. Are there Google apps you’d dump if you had to pay, or conversely, those that you’d happily pay for? [BBC]
Luke
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:06 AMYeah… like Google are a company strapped for cash.
Titsnass
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:15 AMI would think that if they started doing this, their customers will get there info elsewhere? Or even just stop using it at all.
Mandroid
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:16 AMThis is not a new thing, Google has been doing this for years, and fair enough too.
Companies like Telstra, Foxtel and Austar hammer the Google servers every day, because the alternative is to pay $250,000 per year for map data that comes on a couple of DVDs in usually a proprietary format.
Understand, that whilst Google gives an awful lot away free to the consumer, they do expect big businesses to pay their way. This has been Googles approach for a while now, but nothing the average user needs to be concerned about.
Ben
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:24 AMAs Mandroid said, this has always been google’s approach. It has always been stated in the google maps api that charges will apply once a limit is reached. I think the news here is that the limit has been drastically reduced to 25,000 from 60,000 odd requests (from memory).
Julian
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:24 AMActually Telstra uses their own Sensis maps on their website.
wiz1974
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:26 AMi dont have any issues with this. If a business is smashing the google servers then it is fair enough. If they do turn around at some point and start charging the average joe then it will be a different story all together. They have to pay for all these law suits somehow :)
vin
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:36 AMpersonally have no problem with this at all… $4 a day to access the site as much as you want (relative to the market it pertains to, that’s not a lot?!?)
noname
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:38 AMIf business is going to be charged, some cost may eventually be passed to the end user.
Philip
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:51 AMOr users would simply screen capture the Google map and live with the non-interactive version.
Matt
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:57 AMAs a developer I find this proposal very reasonable.
Andy
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 1:35 PMIf you’re getting 25,000 people hit a map once a day, $4 seems fine to keep Google happy.
Chris
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 8:43 PMGoogle Earth is a paid product for business so no surprise they want money for maps and fair enough too given people make money off their service.
Tim
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 12:43 AMIn my opinion this should help as big businesses should be taxed, this is a progressive move by them.
Brett walker
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:59 AMGizmodo’s story has got the figures wrong from the BBC’s story. The additional charges are $4 for every 1000 hits above the first 25,000 free hits
Gertrude Cooley
Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:06 AMI was only checking out my apps on mr smart phone a couple of day and today I noticed I have been charged twice by Google. I guess I will have it removed to avoid charges. Is there anything else I can do?