Microsoft to offer 125GB of storage on SkyDrive?

Talk about cloud storage services and Dropbox is usually the first name to come up. Its seamless interface with your system and 2GB of free storage make for a very popular online file store. We can’t forget about Microsoft though, and its SkyDrive service. While it lacks the easy integration and feature set of Dropbox, is does offer users a huge 25GB of free cloud storage.

Microsoft seem to have realized lots of free storage alone isn’t enough to compel users to switch, so it’s taking action on two fronts. First of all, we’re set to get desktop applications for Windows and Mac allowing for easier file transfers and storage management outside of a web browser. Second, SkyDrive is going to introduce paid tiers for those who require more than the free 25GB allotment.

That extra storage will require a payment, but it’s certainly not expensive. An extra 20GB costs $10 per year, 50GB is $25, and 100GB is $50. So for just over $4 a month you can have a SkyDrive with 125GB of storage. Compare that to Dropbox, which charges $19.99 per month for 100GB.

The new desktop apps and extra storage haven’t been officially confirmed by Microsoft yet, but the screenshot included above looks to be legitimate. It also makes sense to roll this out soon with rumors of Google releasing its own cloud storage service starting to appear once again.

With competing services looking decidedly expensive next to SkyDrive, if Microsoft gets the desktop app right we could see its cloud storage service get a lot more popular very quickly.

Read more at Engadget