Beside a number of decent affordances, here are some constraints that limit the access and use of Google Drive/Docs features on certain computing platforms and mobile browsers.
- More limited formatting options compared to Microsoft Office Web apps suite
- Limited browser compatibility. So far, google Drive/Docs support Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari (on Mac OS only)
- Limited Mac OSX compatibility (supports only OSX Snow Leopard (10.6) and up)
- No official Google Drive support for Windows Phone (some third-party support – FourFly)
- Google Drive Mobile Apps are less view friendly on various tablets (iPad, Galaxy, etc.)?
- No support for third-party archiving applications to grab and store articles and pages from the Web.
- Google Drive is not currently available for the Linux operating system. Linux users can still access Google Drive on the web – drive.google.com, or through the Google Drive mobile app.
- Google Drive provides a decent service for free; you pay only if you want more storage space. But Google uses our data to better optimize ads and delivers to us across the Web, so Google may compromise on the features that don’t directly support the AdSense and AdWords business.
- Furthermore, Google captures our IP address, and uses our accounts for any external purposes.
- There is no built-in text and file/folder encryption, so we may not feel safe storing sensitive data.
- If we want complete privacy, it’s better not to put our information on the Web at all.
- Another Google Drive affordance implemented in 2012 is available in extremely versatile mobile apps for iOS and Android mobile platforms that allow users to using wireless connections automatically create upload and download documents and multimedia content. For those on the go, who have decent mobile data plans, a considerable amount of information processing is possible, even while traveling, which is a huge benefit for busy students and teachers who commute regularly.