The Gambit: Google Photos and Free Storage

There is a gambit that was played this week, and the gambit is the giveaway: the Google I/O keynote that opened on Thursday, the photo service that Google set free, the storage with no price tag. The gambit is the May 28 announcement: Google Photos, a standalone product, automatic backup, search by face and place and thing, 16 megapixel photos and 1080p video at no charge. The gambit is the strategy: the free offer that pressures iCloud and Drive. The gambit is the May 2015 story, and the story is the lesson: the free storage that buys the user.

The Gambit is the subject of this article: what Google announced, why the storage is free, and what the bet means for the industry.

1. The Keynote

The keynote is the stage, and the stage is the Moscone Center: the developer conference that opened on Thursday, the crowd that filled the hall, the executives who took the stage, the announcements that came. The keynote is the Google I/O frame: the May 28 and 29 event in San Francisco, the developers from around the world, the sessions and the demos, the company that showed a year of work in two days. The keynote is the moment: the Android M preview that was unveiled, the photo service that was revealed, the payments that were announced, the connected devices that were promised.

The keynote is also the presenter: Sundar Pichai, the executive who carried much of the event, the man who walked the audience through the announcements, the calm voice of the platform. The keynote is the Google style: the slides that were polished, the demos that were rehearsed, the applause that followed each reveal, the message that Google is more than search. The keynote is the May 28 frame: the developers who came to learn, the partners who came to show, the press who came, the industry that came to judge. The keynote was the opening move, and the move was the product.

2. The Photo Product

The photo product is the reveal, and the reveal is the standalone app: Google Photos that became its own service, that arrived on phones as a free download. The photo product is the May 28 announcement: the app that backs up every picture automatically, that organizes the library, that searches the images, that frees the phone from storage pressure. The photo product is the pivot: the company that made the utility the product, that bet the service on storage and search rather than on sharing. The photo product was the surprise of the morning, and the surprise was the storage.

The photo product is also the competition: the iCloud that charges for space, the Drive that fills, the phone storage that runs out, the users who juggle. The photo product is the Google answer: the automatic upload that needs no effort, the library that lives in the cloud, the access from any device, the service that removes the worry. The photo product is the May 2015 shift: the storage that became a service, the backup that became automatic, the library that became searchable, the photos that stopped being a burden. The photo product was the headline, and the headline was the free.

3. The Free Storage

The free storage is the offer, and the offer is the unlimited: the high quality photos that are stored at no charge, the sixteen megapixel limit that defines high quality, the 1080p video that is kept forever, the capacity that never runs out. The free storage is the May 28 fact: the unlimited promise that came with the announcement, the price of zero that reset the market, the storage that became a service rather than a subscription. The free storage is the giveaway: the cost that Google absorbs, the data that Google receives, the trade at the center of the deal.

The free storage is also the pressure: the iCloud and Drive space that costs money, the users who pay for capacity, the libraries that outgrow the free tiers, the offers that look expensive. The free storage is the strategic move: the rival that must respond, the pricing that must be rethought, the value of photos that changed, the market that will follow. The free storage is the May 2015 lesson: the giveaway that wins the user, the scale that absorbs the cost, the machine that turns the data into money. The free storage was the hook, and the hook was the habit.

4. The Search

The search is the magic, and the magic is the machine: the photo library that is scanned, the faces that are recognized, the places that are mapped, the things that are identified. The search is the Google Photos engine: the automatic backup that feeds the system, the analysis on every image, the queries that find the beach trip or the birthday cake, the results in seconds. The search is the difference: the storage that is free, the organization that is automatic, the retrieval that is effortless, the product that no rival had assembled. The search is the promise, and the promise was the library.

The search is also the data: the faces that are matched, the places that are charted, the things that are cataloged, the library that teaches the system. The search is the Google trade: the free storage that is paid for in analysis, the images that improve the models, the personal library that strengthens the machine. The search is the May 2015 lesson: the product that gives away storage and keeps the intelligence, the photos that become the input, the search that becomes the value, the library that grows with every upload. The search was the engine, and the engine was the offer.

5. The Android M Preview

The Android M preview is the platform, and the platform is the update: the new version of Android that was shown to developers this week, the preview that arrived on Thursday, the features laid out on the stage. The Android M preview is the list: the mobile payments that come through Android Pay, the app links that open the right application, the fingerprint that unlocks the phone, the permissions that are managed, the battery that is spared. The Android M preview is the direction: the phone that becomes the wallet, the identity that is secured, the payments that are simplified.

The Android M preview is also the context: the payments market that is contested, the fingerprint sensors that are arriving in phones, the platform moving into commerce. The Android M preview is the Google answer: the payments that ride on the existing scale, the app links that remove the friction, the fingerprint that secures the purchase, the Google Now on Tap that answers from the screen. The Android M preview is the May 28 meaning: the operating system that becomes the wallet, the wallet that becomes the habit. The Android M preview was the commerce story, and the story was the phone.

6. The Connected Home

The connected home is the next act, and the next act is the operating system: Project Brillo, the Google software for connected devices, the platform announced this week, the code for the sensors and the switches. The connected home is the Weave story: the protocol that ties the devices together, the language that the gadgets will speak, the standard Google wants to set. The connected home is the Chromecast update: the streaming stick that keeps evolving, the casting that spreads to more screens, the living room that Google owns. The connected home is the second platform, and the platform was the bet.

The connected home is also the ambition: the house that is wired, the devices that report, the data that accumulates, the services that follow the user from room to room. The connected home is the Google bet: the operating system that sits inside every gadget, the protocol that connects them, the platform that anchors the home, the search company that becomes the infrastructure. The connected home is the May 28 horizon: the appliances that listen, the lights that respond, the thermostat that learns, the home that runs on Google. The connected home was the long game, and the game was the platform.

7. The Business

The business is the pressure, and the pressure is the revenue: the search ads that generate the eight to nine billion dollars, the core business that funds everything else, the expectations every quarter. The business is the Google balance: the ads that pay for the free services, the photos that are stored at no charge, the data that improves the targeting, the machine that learns from the user. The business is the trade: the storage that is free, the gathered intelligence, the ads that are sharper, the revenue that is protected. The business is the engine, and the engine is the ad.

The business is also the cloud: the photos that move out of the phone and into Google's data centers, the iCloud and Drive pressure answered with unlimited space, the memories that anchor the user. The business is the May 2015 lesson: the free product that defends the core, the storage that feeds the machine, the user who stays, the habit that is hard to break. The business is the May 28 arithmetic: the free storage that costs cents, the library that buys loyalty, the loyalty that earns the revenue for years. The business is the reason, and the reason is the gambit.

8. The Lesson

The lesson is the pattern, and the pattern is the gambit: the free service that wins the user, the unlimited storage that removes the friction, the search that creates the value, the ads that pay. The lesson is the Google method: the product that is given away, the data that comes back, the machine that improves, the moat that deepens. The lesson is the May 28 moment: the keynote that was carried by Sundar Pichai, the announcements that came in a stream, the strategy visible to anyone who watched. The lesson is the shape, and the shape was the strategy.

The lesson is also the warning: the rivals that will answer, the costs that will grow, the storage that is never truly free, the trade that the user accepts without reading the fine print, the bargain that looks too good to question. The gambit is the May 2015 story, and the story is the lesson: the photos that were set free, the unlimited storage that was promised, the search that was built, the business that was protected. The keynote was the beginning, and the free storage was the proof. The lesson is the playbook, and the playbook will be studied for years.

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