Just yesterday, Microsoft it had done away with its convoluted Live Mesh system and adopted a consumer-friendly service -- SkyDrive -- that's closer to what Dropbox offers. The company also announced an app for Windows and for Mac OS X that integrates SkyDrive with the local OS.

Just as with Dropbox, files can be stored in the SkyDrive folder, and they will be uploaded to the cloud storage service as well as synchronized to a user's other mobile and desktop devices.

While other pundits have said that Google was "out to lunch" when it came to offering a comprehensive cloud storage service, Gartenberg said it was worth the wait as the company has hit the mark on every important feature.

Frank Gillett, an analyst with Forrester Research, agreed. "What's very interesting is having such a capability tied to one of the largest email offerings on the planet," he said. "Microsoft's SkyDrive [has] been around for a while and linked to Hotmail, but this more significant than that."