Every product eventually reaches the moment when it must reevaluate its economic situation. The price can go up, down, or disappear entirely, though the latter is not so common. However, that is exactly what is happening today with Google Earth Pro. Previously, the premium edition of Google Earth demanded about $400 a year, but from now on, anyone can access it without paying a cent.
Google Earth has accompanied us with that name since 2005, and there is no doubt that it changed the world in its own way. It has registered more than a billion downloads, and it sparked an impressive interest in geolocation technologies, as well as other similar programs. The competition also had to pick up the glove and start their own developments, but even today I think Mountain View has a certain advantage in mapping. Almost inevitably, Google Maps incorporated many features of Google Earth, which made it lose a bit of relevance. Google Earth Plus was retired in 2008, and the only premium option became Google Earth Pro, with an annual cost of $400, aimed at the business environment.
Well, that has changed. Last Friday, the masterminds at Mountain View confirmed that Google Earth Pro is now free. Besides exploring the world with a couple of clicks, Google Earth Pro also allows you to enjoy higher resolution images, and offers a series of advanced tools that can help with tasks such as presentations and reports. First, you can print images, then there is the resource to take measurements on 3D buildings, and finally we find the option to record high-definition videos of our virtual tours. Maybe this isn't enough for some users, but from my side it sounds pretty good, especially considering the zero cost.
All interested users have to do is go to the Google Earth Pro portal, register, download the copy of the application and enter the key they received with the registration email. I must warn that the registration process is having some hiccups. On a couple of occasions the only thing I got was an incomplete registration error, so you have to be patient.
