Earlier this month, it was announced that Apple had become the world’s first trillion-dollar company, and it isn’t hard to see why. Over the years, the company has become known for their amazing products, exceptional customer service, and special promotional offers to pull even more business.
Speaking of special offers, Apple has recently partnered with the four major carriers in the U.S. to offer 200GB of free iCloud storage space for two months to iCloud users, according to reports from The Verge .
The Cupertino-based company is aiming to get customers ready for its upcoming iPhone releases. Customers who are planning to upgrade their current iPhones will be able to seamlessly backup and transfer all their data including contact information and iMessage threads from their old devices.
In order to gain access the offer, customers will have to follow a special link then redeem the code provided. They’ll be required to sign into their accounts and enter the code through Apple’s AppStore. After the two months, participating customers will then be required to pay $2.99 per month to continue utilizing the 200GB. They’ll also have the option to cancel and return to Apple’s free storage tier of 5GB.
This seems to be a smart move on Apple’s part as the free offering may cause more users to sign up for the company’s services.
However, there is a slight catch. Reports from The Verge say that the offer may only be available to users located in the U.S. And 9to5Mac points out that the financial value of this offer isn’t as great as it appears to be.
“Since May, Apple started offering 30-day free trials for all new subscriptions to iCloud paid tiers. So, in reality, what customers get for free here is an additional month, which usually costs $2.99.”
Apple’s iCloud storage and price points have received criticism for “being too stingy” from the tech community in the past. Users have pointed out that the company’s free tier isn’t enough storage for anyone to realistically use.
“The copy of this promotion even implies it, it effectively says that 200 GB is ‘enough space to safely back up all the important things on your iPhone’, and that the free tier are not sufficient,” writes Benjamin Mayo.
Despite complaints, the tech giant has not made any changes to its free 5GB storage offer, but has instead significantly reduced the prices of the paid tiers a number of times.
Apple is set to announce its 2018 iPhones in September; perhaps the company will also address the issues with its limited free storage offer as well.