Google announced today that it is making Workspace, the service formerly known as G Suite (and with several new features), available to everyone, even free Google accounts.
The basic philosophy behind Workspace is to enable collaboration between Google productivity applications (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat, etc.), but with a new wrapper and deeper integration .
For individual users who want more than just the free Workspace, there will be a new paid offer, though Google does not say how much you will have to pay. With this, users will have access to "premium features such as smart booking services, video business meetings and personalized email marketing, and much more to come."
We will probably hear more about this later in 2021. This new paid offer will soon be available in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil and Japan.
Consumers can now use the new Google Chat instead of the classic Hangouts app. Until now, only paying G Suite/Workspace users had access to this service.
"Collaboration does not stop at the workspace - our products have been optimized for wide engagement, sharing and service from the start," said Javier Soltero, VP and GM of Google Workspace.
"Our focus is to offer consumers, employees, teachers and students a fair approach to collaboration, while providing flexibility that allows these different subsets of users to pursue their own approach to communication and collaboration."
George is still wondering what he is doing here….
