Category Archives: Cloud Storage

Podcast: What is distributed cloud storage and what are its benefits? – ComputerWeekly.com

In this podcast, we look at distributed cloud storage with Enrico Signoretti, vice-president of product and partnerships at Cubbit.

We talk about how storage has shifted to hybrid and multicloud modes and how distributed cloud storage separates the control plane from data to provide data retention in multiple locations, on-site and in multiple clouds.

Signoretti also talks about how organisations that need to retain control over data over costs and location, for example can achieve that with distributed cloud, as well as talking about the workloads to which it is best suited.

Enrico Signoretti: So, I can start with why it is important right now and then delve into what it is and what it does.

It is important because we live in a moment where companies are shifting from traditional models, at the beginning, [to] just cloud, and then we discovered hybrid cloud, so keeping some of your IT stuff on-premise and some in the public cloud.

Then we were talking more and more about multicloud; most large enterprises have multiple clouds and multiple applications running in different environments.

So, from this point of view, a distributed cloud is a model thats totally different to what were used to seeing in the market. So, the big hyperscalers do everything in single datacentres. So yes, you see the cloud, but everything running in one or a set of very closed datacentres.

With the model of distributed cloud you separate the control plane from the data plane; something that happened in the past when we were talking about software-defined.

So, the service provider keeps control of this control plane . . . but resources can be used and deployed everywhere. They could be in the same public cloud environment that I mentioned before, or in your datacentre. So, you are building this distributed cloud.

More so, when it comes to storage, when we talk about geo-distributed cloud, it means these resources are really distributed geographically, meaning that you can have some of your data in France maybe and other segments of the data in Italy or Germany, or even more distributed than that.

This is the main concept, and its really important for everybody because it removes a lot of obstacles when it is time to work with the multicloud.

Signoretti: The main benefit of distributed cloud is control. You can have control at several levels. When you start thinking about distributed cloud there is no lock-in because you have the possibility to choose where you put your data.

There is data sovereignty as well as we can call it data independence. Its not only data sovereignty that you achieve but you achieve control on all the layers and all aspects of data management.

And this is very important because even though most of the hyperscalers are very quick to respond to new regulations here in Europe, and also in the US, that are popping up, its still a complex world and for many organisations in Europe giving your data to this kind of organisation is not feasible.

The idea here is that with distributed cloud you have this level of sovereignty that you need but also control on cost, control on policies that are applied on this data management.

Maybe if we think about a comparison between the three models on-premises, public cloud and distributed cloud you can see that distributed cloud is just in the middle between the others. On the one hand, you keep control of the entire stack, and on the other hand, you have the flexibility of the public cloud.

So, matching these two, you can have a very efficient infrastructure that is deployed and managed by your organisation but still keeping all the advantages of public cloud.

Signoretti: You have to think of distributed cloud still as cloud. So, if you have a low latency, high-performance workload for which you usually need the CPU [central processing unit] very close to the storage, thats not for distributed cloud.

In that case, its way better to choose something that is on-premise or in the same cloud.

From my point of view, all other workloads are fine from backup, disaster recovery, collaboration and even big data lakes to store huge amounts of data for AI [artificial intelligence] and ML [machine learning].

In most cases you can have a good throughput. Its just the latency thats not there but the same goes for the public cloud. This is probably the set of use cases that are more suited for distributed cloud.

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Podcast: What is distributed cloud storage and what are its benefits? - ComputerWeekly.com

How to open HEIC images on your Android phone or tablet – Android Police

When you capture pictures on your iPhone, the device stores them in the High-Efficiency Image Container (HEIC, or HEIF). Compared to JPEGs and PNGs, HEIC produces high quality at a small size. Android 10 introduced compatibility with the format, so you can open it on your Google Pixel and other phones. Older devices and some apps may not support it.

You must convert them to the acceptable formats before uploading them. With Google Photos, cloud storage services, and third-party apps, you can easily view and convert them. Here's how.

You can open HEIC files on Android if your device runs the Android 10 operating system (OS). HEIC is the default format for capturing images on iPhones and iPads running iOS 11, iPadOS, and macOS High Sierra or newer versions. Before it introduced HEIC support in 2017, Apple's devices used the JPG format.

If you send a HEIC image to the latest Android devices, it retains the format and doesn't automatically change to another format. Google Photos and Files by Google are among the few apps that can open it. Cloud Storage apps like Drive and Dropbox also work, or you can install dedicated HEIC viewer apps on the Play Store.

If you use an Android device from a third-party manufacturer, it should have its own gallery app. You'll see a broken image icon, an error message, or other signs if the device and its built-in apps don't support HEIC.

Upload or back up HEIC images to Google Photos to view them in their original format. The app doesn't convert them, even when you download them to your device. Likewise, the website version retains the default format. Conversion isn't necessary since HEIC is already a small size. Also, Photos focuses on being a cloud storage service where any mobile user can stash pictures and videos and then access them at any time.

Create a shareable link for your photos when you want others to see them. It's the most convenient way to distribute access, as long as everyone has internet access to view the link. If you send the files to others on WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social media apps, the file automatically converts to JPG.

Editing the image within Photos and saving a copy also changes it to JPG. However, you must alter the image before storing it as a copy. You can resize it slightly or apply filters at a minimal level. Samsung Gallery can also open HEIC files on Galaxy devices. The app used to have an option to convert them to JPG. Samsung has since removed it with the One UI 4 update. You can move any images on the app to Google Photos.

Files by Google also has built-in HEIC support, and you can view images without separate conversion software. Plus, it displays all local files on your device, and you can view them offline. Navigate to the folder where the HEIC file is, or search for it. Then tap or click it to view it.

You can edit the image within the app. It has similar tools to Google Photos, including Crop, Adjust, and Filters. Files doesn't have an in-built option to convert the file. However, you can share it with Photos or photo editing apps. Samsung's My Files app works similarly, although it's exclusive to Galaxy smartphones and tablets. It should be preinstalled if you own any of those devices.

Most cloud storage apps have HEIC support and provide web and app interfaces to access the files. Google Drive doesn't automatically convert HEIC files when you download them. But you can create a shareable link for others to view them through an internet connection.

You can also use Dropbox. It provides an option to upload HEIC files as JPG. Recently, some users complained that this option was missing, and the company hasn't officially stated that it removed it. OneDrive is another solution, although you won't find any options to upload HEIC photos in another format.

Third-party apps may provide extensive features beyond basic HEIC support. However, some charge a fee. If you use one, download it from the Google Play Store, as it's the safest app source for your Android device.

HEIC is a newer file format than JPG, PNG, and other image types. Though it offers better image compression and quality, not all devices and apps can open it. If you're an Apple user and frequently share such files with other devices, it's worth switching your default image capture settings to JPG. There isn't much quality difference.

With the iOS 11 update, you can capture and store photos on your iPhone or iPad in JPG format. Use the steps below to do it:

HEIC files aren't a headache if you own an iPhone, but they will be if you share them with Android users. If their devices don't have the latest OS versions or apps that support the format, they can't view the files. Consider setting up Google Drive on your iPhone or a Google Photos account. This way, you only need to share links to the files and save storage space.

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How to open HEIC images on your Android phone or tablet - Android Police

Removing the hefty price tag: cloud storage without the climate cost – DatacenterDynamics

Tackling the sustainability issue

As of 2022, over half of all corporate data resides in the cloud, meaning demand for cloud storage has never been higher. Like a falling domino, this has triggered severe energy consumption throughout the data center industry, resulting in substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Disturbingly, the European Commission estimates that by 2030, EU data center energy use will increase from 2.7 percent to 3.2 percent of the Union's total demand. This would put the industrys emissions almost neck and neck with pollution from the EUs international aviation.

Yet, it must be remembered that cloud storage is still far more sustainable than the alternatives.

Its crucial to put the energy used by cloud storage into context and consider the savings it can make elsewhere. Thanks to sharing services and file storage, teams can collaborate and work wherever they are, removing the need for large offices and everyday commuting.

This means businesses can downsize their workspaces as well as reduce the environmental impact caused by employees traveling. In fact, its estimated that working from home four days a week can reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions by around 10 percent.

Getty Images

Besides this, cloud storage reduces dependence on physical, on-premises servers. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), having on-site servers or their own data centers can be expensive, whilst running and cooling the equipment requires a lot of energy, which means more CO2 emissions.

Cloud servers, on the other hand, offer a more efficient alternative. Unlike on-premises servers that might only be used to a fraction of their capacity, cloud servers in data centers can be used much more effectively. They often operate at much higher capacities, thanks to virtualization technology that allows a single physical server to act as multiple virtual ones.

Each virtual server can be used by different businesses, meaning fewer physical units are needed overall. This means less energy is required to power and cool, leading to a reduction in overall emissions.

In addition, on-premises servers often have higher storage and computing capacity than needed just to handle occasional spikes in demand, which is an inefficient use of resources. Cloud data centers, by contrast, combine large amounts of equipment to manage these spikes more efficiently.

In 2022, the average power usage effectiveness of data centers improved. This indicates that cloud providers are using energy more efficiently and helping companies reduce their carbon footprint with cloud storage.

Importantly, there are ways to further improve the sustainability of services like cloud storage, which could translate to energy savings of 30-50 percent through greening strategies. So, how can businesses make the sustainable transition from normal cloud storage to green cloud storage? Well, we believe there are three fundamental steps.

Firstly, businesses should consider location. This means picking a cloud storage provider thats close to a power facility. This is because distance matters. If electricity travels a long way between generation and use, a percentage is lost. In addition, data centers located in underwater environments or cooler climates can reduce the energy required for cooling.

Next, businesses should ask green providers about what theyre doing to minimize their environmental impact. For example, powering their operations with solar, wind, or biofuels reduces reliance on fossil fuels and so lowers GHG emissions. Some facilities will house large battery banks to store renewable energy and ensure a continuous, eco-friendly power supply.

Last but certainly not least, technology offers a powerful avenue for enhancing the energy efficiency of cloud storage. Some providers have been investing in algorithms, software, and hardware designed to optimize energy use. For instance, introducing AI and machine learning algorithms or frequency scaling can drastically improve how data centers manage power consumption and cooling.

This is illustrated by Googles use of its DeepMind AI that reduced its data center cooling bill by 40 percent a prime example of how intelligent systems can contribute towards greater sustainability.

With the world warming up at an accelerating rate, selecting a cloud storage provider that demonstrates a clear commitment to sustainability can have a significant impact. In fact, major cloud providers like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have already taken steps to make their cloud services greener, such as by pledging to move to 100 percent renewable sources of energy.

Undeniably, the cloud is reshaping the nature of business as we know it, but this digital growth risks an unpredictable future with serious environmental consequences. But businesses shouldnt have to choose between the Earth and innovation.

Instead, its a balancing act. And the answer lies in green cloud storage. By choosing providers powered by renewable energy, efficient data centers, and innovative technologies, businesses can reap the rewards of the cloud without incurring a harmful energy penalty on the planet.

Theres no time to waste. We must act now. Businesses have an obligation to choose green cloud storage and be part of the solution, not the problem. By making the switch today, we can ensure the cloud remains a convenient sanctuary, not a climate change culprit.

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Removing the hefty price tag: cloud storage without the climate cost - DatacenterDynamics

Google Drive for the web finally goes dark – Android Police

Summary

Dark mode took off with the advent of AMOLED displays a few years ago, with many web developers and app management teams scrambling to implement the new feature. It makes reading much easier on the eyes, and some would argue it also reduces power consumption on AMOLEDs, but in any case, Google wasnt a forerunner in adoption. To this day, a vast majority of Workspace apps dont offer the convenience on the web version, but things are now starting to change, starting with Drive.

Googles Material Design principles for Android have forced system-wide Dark Mode on most Android apps, but the brand has a plethora of apps to manage, and details often slip through the cracks. Thats perhaps why just a handful of services such as YouTube and Search have dark mode support on the web, while a majority of Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. are missing out. A few exceptions in the suite are Google Chat and Gmail, but even in the latter, the email contents display against a white background.

Google Drive with dark mode enabled

Now, Google is rolling out dark mode for one of our favorite cloud storage services, Drive, to reduce the strain on your eyes while you browse through your cloud storage on the web and take a minute to organize all the auto-saved Workspace documents. 9to5Google reports the change is rolling out now, and you should see a pop-up on the site alerting you of the change.

However, if the pop-up doesnt show, or if you dismiss it accidentally, the toggle is located under Settings General Appearance. Drive uses a deep gray shade for the search bar background and sidebar, with a slightly lighter shade for the search bar itself.

It's important to note this toggle doesnt change much besides the file management view. As soon as you hop into a Workspace utility like Sheets or Slides to edit a document, youll be blinded by light mode on the web, again.

Although the change is rolling out already, only a few users are seeing it. We hope it reaches a wider audience soon, and this change sets the precedent for the web UI of other Workspace apps, so we can ditch hacky browser extensions and Android emulators just for dark mode.

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Google Drive for the web finally goes dark - Android Police

Fulton property tax payments back online after hack – The Atlanta Journal Constitution

So we are less vulnerable going forward, Ferdinand said.

The tax commissioners office never closed during the computer crisis, though for a time it was limited to in-person or phone functions, he said. The office processed more than $50 million in property tax payments during February, Ferdinand said.

Nonetheless, this was very inconvenient for all our citizens, he said.

Now the offices public-facing functions are restored, allowing online property tax payments; and the tax assessors office can again handle tax searches, Ferdinand said.

He spoke from county commission chambers with Commission Chair Robb Pitts, giving the latest in a series of updates on service restoration, though Pitts again said they could not discuss the ongoing investigation into the hack.

Pitts reiterated that the cyberattack did not impact our voting systems in any way whatsoever.

The county has received several questions about the ability to conduct background checks, he said. The sheriffs office and Fulton County Police Department were unimpeded in doing those checks, but background checks by third parties of county court records were unavailable, Pitts said.

Now access for third-party background checks has been transferred to a new website, accessible through the court clerks page, he said.

Those records can now be accessed through re:SearchGA at https://researchga.tylerhost.net/.

The county has restored its phone service with a very few exceptions, and more good news on system restoration should be coming soon, Pitts said.

The ransomware attack, claimed by the LockBit hacking gang, took down many county internal and external systems. Hackers set a countdown on the dark web and threatened to release stolen county documents including residents personal information if an unspecified ransom wasnt paid.

But a massive international law enforcement takedown Feb. 19, not directly related to the Fulton County hack, seized computer servers and cryptocurrency accounts used by LockBit. The ransomware deadline passed, was reset, and passed again with no release of data. The takedown apparently cut the hackers off from the data they stole.

Pitts said neither the county nor anyone on its behalf paid any ransom. At the March 6 commission meeting, County Manager Dick Anderson said there had been no further threat to release personal data.

Pitts has said if any residents sensitive personal data is exposed, the county will provide identity-theft protection for them.

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Fulton property tax payments back online after hack - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Functionland FxBlox Cloud Storage Towers Over Competition – Design Milk

When is the last time you gave data storage any considerable thought? Cloud storage and the increasingly capacious storage on mobile devices has mostly downplayed those worries for everyday users. But for professionals operating in the realm of web3 projects, secure and ample data storage is still an important and often costly concern. Functionland FxBloxs colorfully hued skyline of desktop data towers belies a system engineered with a serious purpose: to offer users a secure decentralized data storage solution without a subscription.

Unlike your run of the mill external hard drive with their propensity for high failure rates a nightmare for mission critical projects or costly cloud-based storage, the FxBlox is the hardware end of a secure, encrypted decentralized storage network system. Aimed toward privacy-oriented storage and secure resource-sharing among different users, the FxBlox aims to be a super-secure place to host websites or store photos, music, videos, or files of the non-fungible sort.

The storage systems modular, color-coded design was handled by industrial designer Yves Bhars fuseproject. Sheathed in anodized metal with a satin bead blast finish, each monochromatic metal tower stores terabytes of data. Interchangeable covers add the option to personalize each unit, operable individually or upgradable into a small cityscape of expandable storage.

We want to bring a Box into every home. We want people to be proud to show it off to their guests, proud to put it on display, said Keyvan Sadeghi, CEO of Functionland. Yves was a natural choice: he has a proven track record of producing brilliant designs for the projects he chooses to collaborate on.

Be sure to check out more of fuseprojects other future-forward designs, including the worlds first solid-state portable power station and a tiny electric truck with a 350-miles range.

To learn more about Functionlands new FxBlox and encrypted decentralized storage network system solutions, check out fx.land.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.

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Functionland FxBlox Cloud Storage Towers Over Competition - Design Milk

Google Rivals With Apple One With New Bundled Features For UK Subscribers – TradingView

In a strategic move to enhance its subscription services, Google One has introduced a new bundle for U.K. subscribers, adding value to its cloud storage plans with the inclusion of Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium. This development comes amid a competitive landscape where tech giants are vying for a larger share of the subscription service market.

What Happened: Google One subscribers in the U.K. now have access to Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium as part of their cloud storage plans, albeit with a catch, TechRadar reported on Thursday.

These additional features are currently exclusive to the U.K. market. Users began receiving notifications about the update via email.

Moreover, there is no mention of this update on the U.K. Google One pricing page, though it appears to be available with plans of 2TB or more.

The rollout seems to be gradual or limited, as some TechRadar staff with Google One subscriptions have not received any notification. Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium services provide additional security and health insights, respectively, and are individually priced at 8 ($10.21) and 7.99 ($10.20) per month in the U.K.

At the time of writing the article, Google has yet to respond to the queries sent by Benzinga.

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This bundling strategy positions Google One as a more formidable rival to Apple One, especially with the recent introduction of a Google One AI Premium plan featuring the Gemini Advanced AI model.

Why It Matters: The bundling of Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium into Google Ones UK subscriptions is a significant step for Alphabet Inc. in the competitive cloud services market. This move comes at a time when Google Cloud has been vocal about its concerns regarding Microsofts potential monopoly in cloud computing, which could stifle innovation in areas like generative AI.

Furthermore, the bundling strategy may also be seen as a response to recent legal challenges faced by competitors like Apple Inc. which has been accused of monopolizing digital storage through iCloud. A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges that Apple imposes restrictions that effectively bind customers to its iCloud service, highlighting the contentious nature of the digital storage market.

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Unexpected costs hit many as they move to cloud storage – ComputerWeekly.com

Most organisations spend more on cloud storage than they budget for, with large numbers migrating more data to the cloud than planned. Those numbers are even higher for companies that have adopted cloud storage in the past two years, with unexpected costs coming from storage capacity growth, egress fees and application programming interface (API) call charges.

Meanwhile, the number of organisations that expect to increase their use of public cloud storage is set to grow compared with 2023.

Those are the findings of the Wasabi 2024 global cloud storage index report, which questioned 1,200 IT decision-makers with involvement in public cloud storage purchasing in organisations with more than 100 employees.

More than half (53%) of respondents had exceeded their cloud storage budget. The main reasons organisations exceeded budgets included using more storage than planned (42%) and migrating more apps and data to the cloud than planned (45%).

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of those who were new to the cloud in 2022 and 2023 exceeded budget spend. Also, these respondents cited high storage use and growth, unanticipated egress fees and API call fees as the three main reasons for exceeding budgets.

Cloud storage is well-suited to some use cases. It offers flexibility that allows organisations to scale up and down easily in terms of capacity.

It can therefore be very well suited to applications that may experience spikes in demand that need to burst to the cloud. It can also be useful for data accessed less frequently and that is unlikely to be downloaded back to on-premise locations.

Moving data off-cloud and accessing it are key costs that go beyond mere storage, and it is these, such as egress costs, that can catch out organisations new to cloud storage.

According to the survey, 93% of organisations plan to increase public cloud storage capacity in 2024. This is 9% higher than last years survey, which indicated that 84% expected an increase in cloud storage capacity.

Meanwhile, 90% of respondents expect their cloud storage budgets to increase in 2024, up from 84% in 2023, with new data security, backup and recovery requirements among the reasons for increased spend.

Across the full set of respondents, 47% of cloud storage billing is allocated to data and usage fees (including API calls, operations, egress and retrieval), which is the same as last years survey results.

The number of respondents whose organisations are cloud-first increased in 2024 to 42%.

A big factor in cloud storage growth is artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workload adoption.

Nearly all (99%) respondents plan to adopt or are already implementing AI/ML solutions and services.

Half of them (49%) expect AI/ML workload adoption to create challenges because data will need to be stored across a wide range of locations, such as edge, core and cloud.

Current or planned AI workload adoption is dominated by generative AI (49% of respondents), followed by AI/ML solutions for security and compliance (45%) and product design (39%).

Nearly all (97%) respondents believe their organisation has storage-related concerns associated with AI/ML.

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Unexpected costs hit many as they move to cloud storage - ComputerWeekly.com

Google’s new answer to Apple One lets you subscribe to Drive, Fitbit and Nest with one condition – TechRadar

Subscribers to Google One cloud storage plans now have some extra perks to make use of, after Nest Aware (for Nest camera video recording) and Fitbit Premium (for doing more with your Fitbit) were bundled into the packages.

There's only one condition: you have to be in the UK, at least for now. As reported on Reddit (via 9to5Google), Google One subscribers have started getting emails from Google, notifying them of the changes to their accounts.

Google has gone about this in a rather odd way. Throwing in Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium clearly adds a lot more value to Google One, and we know that it's definitely happened, as per a Google statement to 9to5Google.

At the same time, making it UK-only seems a strange choice: Google hasn't mentioned the US or anywhere else at all. There's no official announcement about the news anywhere, and at the moment it's not mentioned on the Google One pricing page in the UK though it seems this is available on 2TB and higher storage plans.

Even in the UK, it seems to be a gradual or limited roll out. Several members of the TechRadar team with Google One subscriptions are yet to receive an email with news of the extra Nest and Fitbit goodies included with their plan.

Nest Aware starts at 8 a month in the UK, adding 30 days of event history for Nest cameras, plus smart alerts. There's also a Nest Aware Plus package (12 a month) that adds 24/7 video history and 60 days of video event history. The plans cost $8/$15 per month in the US and AU$12/AU$24 per month in Australia.

As for Fitbit Premium, it gives you a deeper dive into some of your health and fitness stats you get more advanced sleep analysis, for example, plus a daily readiness score. An extensive library of workout videos and audio tracks are included too. On its own, Fitbit Premium costs $9.99 / 7.99 / AU$15.49 a month.

All of this adds plenty of value to Google One plans, on top of the cloud storage and other benefits (like a VPN) you already get, making it a stronger competitor to Apple One. Google also recently introduced a Google One AI Premium plan, which throws in access to the Gemini Advanced AI model.

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Google's new answer to Apple One lets you subscribe to Drive, Fitbit and Nest with one condition - TechRadar

Proposed class action lawsuit alleges Apple monopolizing cloud storage for its devices – The Hill

Apple faces a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the company holds an illegal monopoly over digital storage for its customers.

The suit, filed Friday, claims “surgical” restraints prevent customers from effectively using any service except its iCloud storage system.

iCloud is the only service that can host certain data from the company’s phones, tablets and computers, including application data and device settings. Plaintiffs allege the practice has “unlawfully ‘tied’” the devices and iCloud together.

“Apple’s arbitrary prohibition on hosting Restricted Files fundamentally distorts the competitive landscape to privilege iCloud over all rivals,” the suit reads. “As a result of this restraint, would-be cloud competitors are unable to offer Apple’s device holders a full-service cloud-storage solution, or even a pale comparison.”

iCloud enjoys about 70 percent market share in cloud storage for Apple users, according to the suit. Plaintiffs also noted that the high market share has allowed prices to skyrocket, marking it “undisciplined by competition.”

“Apple has marked up its iCloud prices to the point where the service is generating almost pure profit. Apple’s ability to sustain these prices is a testament to its monopoly power,” the suit said.

The plaintiffs propose a class action suit with tens of millions of members, all iCloud platform users. 

The Hill has reached out to Apple for comment.

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Proposed class action lawsuit alleges Apple monopolizing cloud storage for its devices - The Hill