I'm glad I signed up early. I have 11 users now, for $0, and I still think my limit is 25.<p>That said, $50 a year is not really that much considering the service provided.
This is good news, because I feel that Google has always ignored a very legitimate use case of Google Apps -- wanting your own personal Google Account with your own email address.<p>Many people, myself included, want to use all of the personal services that Google provides backed by their own domain, not Gmail. You used to be able to do this sans hosted email, but that feature got removed a year or two back. If you wanted to use your own domain, you had to sign up for an entire Apps account, when it really should have been the same as before + some MX records for hosted email.<p>Perhaps using your own domain for a Google Account should be a paid service anyway, and $50/year isn't incredibly pricey. But a 99.9% uptime SLA and phone support aren't necessary for what can really be just a vanity. (That said, phone support in Google's ecosystem is kind of nice...)
Matt Jaggard said on that Google discussion:<p><pre><code> - "I think you're missing the point. Some startups are getting going with zero capital because an individual with some skills and some time can produce and sell a product using free cloud services and then once they've made a few bob can upgrade.
- Google WERE supporting this model very well - shame on you for stopping."
</code></pre>
Maybe, Google may continue to offer this services to start ups. They can ask for 0.05 or less share per startup using their services for free. That will not be free anymore, but is a viable model. I think.
More details in Google's blog post: <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2012/12/changes-to-google-apps-for-businesses.html" rel="nofollow">http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2012/12/changes-to-goog...</a>
Again, people are missing this: Google apps 'free' & even regular gmail have never been truly free. Anything you put in there is sold off to the ad partners. It has never been a charity.
It's too soon IMHO.<p>I've set up Google Apps for Business / Domains for so many SMEs and this thing is definitely cutting the Office grass under a certain competitor's feet. I'm not saying said competitor is not enjoying amazing revenues: all I'm saying is Google <i>is</i> hurting other office suites sales with Google Apps for Domains.<p>People are delighted with this "free" solution. Now I'm going to have to bill them at least $50 / user per year and they'll start thinking about buying Office from another competitor again.<p>I understand Google needing to make money with this, but IMHO it's way too soon. They should have waited to "bait" way more SMEs into their net before doing such a move.