Google Discontinues Free Version of Google Apps

This is an important news for users of the now very popular free Google Apps, as for some undisclosed reason, Google - the internet giant - has decided to discontinue this service.

Google declares on its Google Apps Documentation and Support Page that, "Starting on December 6, 2012, Google will no longer offer new accounts for the free edition of Google Apps."

In a newsletter sent to all users of this product, Director of Google Apps, Clay Bavor says, "Starting today, we're no longer accepting new sign-ups for the free version of Google Apps..."

He however, goes ahead to allay the fears of those customers who are already using this product. "Because you're already a customer, this change has no impact on your service, and you can continue to use Google Apps for free"; he adds.

He further indicates, in addition to listing some of its advantages which the free version did not offer, that the Business version of Google Apps, which is not free, is still very much around for the asking: "Should you ever want to upgrade to Google Apps for Business, you'll enjoy benefits such as 24/7 customer support, a 25 GB inbox, business controls, our 99.9% uptime guarantee, unlimited users and more for just $5 per user, per month" he continued.

Google had described Google Apps in various ways. It is "a suite of Google applications that brings together essential services to help your business." It is also "a cloud-based productivity suite that helps you and your team connect and get work done from anywhere on any device." Google Apps free edition is sometimes referred to as "Standard Edition."

By whatever name Google has called it in the past, the free version that has come to be so popular is no longer being offered. To get connected to Google Apps, you now only have the business version to use.

You can learn more about this change in Google's Help Center or on its Enterprise Blog.