Can we talk about failure of another Google? People do not want to pay for something that was so far free. Company from Mountain View failed to maintain current prices for access to the Google Maps API.
Paid access (if you have a hit 25.000 map loads per day) made the biggest users of the system, they decided to turn from it completely. With Google Maps gave up not only Polish websites, but also Wikipedia, or Foursquare, but also Apple. Google had to be a huge punch, after which the company decided to change the payment policy.
The new price is eight times lower than the previous one and they simplifying limits for both Styled and regular maps.
Here are the details:
- Changes to pricing. While the Maps API remains free for the vast majority of sites, some developers were worried about the potential costs. In response, Google have lowered the online price from US $4 per 1,000 map loads to 50¢ per 1,000 map loads. Which is much more acceptable offer. And perhaps stop some developers who are considered escape.
- Simplified limits. They’re eliminating the previous distinction between Styled Maps and regular unstyled maps. The same usage limits and pricing now apply to applications using Styled Maps and the default Google Maps style.