On Thursday, America Online announced it would begin to offer all web users five gigabytes of online storage through its Xdrive product, part of the company"s new initiative to make its service available without cost. The company also announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs or 26% of its workforce within the next six months.
Through Xdrive, individuals can back up files like photos, documents, music, videos, and more. Uploaded content can be access through any PC or mobile device with a Web connection, AOL said. Users can even share files with others, as well as automatically upload e-mail attachments.
AOL will not charge users for the service, which is currently priced at $10 per month. The free Xdrive will be available to anyone with an AOL or AIM screen name starting next month. However, a premium offering with 50GB of storage will be available to those needing more space for a fee that has yet to be announced.
The charges will affect AOL"s workforce of about 19,000 employees. 5,000 layoffs are expected to take place within the next six months, with notifications expected in October. AOL is also looking to sell its internet access businesses in France, Germany and the UK.