Talks about Google Drive (GDrive) first started way back in 2006 and there have been no shortage of rumors and speculations regarding the mysterious online storage service ever since. But it appears like the service is finally going to launch. According to GigaOM’s Om Malik, who got tipped off by “well placed sources”, Google Drive will arrive in the first week of April 2012.

It’s really disappointing that Google is taking so much time for launching the much anticipated service. But, as you know, the company is already into online storage via other services. You can upload documents and files to Google Docs, upload photos to Picasa, and Gmail can also be used as a storage locker. There is unlimited storage available for photos via Google+ and Google Music allows up to 20,000 song uploads.

But the problem with these services is that you won’t be able to manage all your files at one location. That is why a service such as Google Drive is much needed.

Om Malik says that Google will be offering 1GB of free online storage via GDrive, but you will be charged for more storage (Just in case you didn’t know, Dropbox currently offers 2 GB for free). GDrive will come with a local client and the interface will resemble that of Google Docs. Reportedly, the service will be available for Google Apps customers.

But Malik himself is not too confident about the new info. He says, “…the storage drive might just see the day in early April…. I say might, just because of Google’s history with the Google Drive.”

And that’s not all on Google Drive today. According to this report, Google Drive might arrive in mid April with 2GB of free storage (5GB is also a possibility).

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The change in name really doesn’t affect the user experience all that much, because the Android app still looks and works in exactly the same way. The idea is that the content services from Google, like Google Books and Google Music, will be more unified across the various platforms. You can get your entertainment and share it through the cloud.

“Today we’re eliminating all [the] hassle with Google Play, a digital entertainment destination where you can find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the web and on your Android phone or tablet,” said the official statement from Google. “Google Play is entirely cloud-based so all your music, movies, books and apps are stored online, always available to you, and you never have to worry about losing them or moving them again.”

To celebrate the switch, Google has discounted 23 apps and games in the new Google Play to just 49 cents. These include World of Goo, Osmos HD, TuneIn Radio Pro, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, NOVA 2, Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro, SwitftKey X Keyboard, and Pocket League Story, among others.

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Google Music is going to be a lot like Amazon’s Cloud Player, which lets anyone upload their music to cloud servers and play them via the web, Android, Android@Home or Project Tungsten. Unlike Amazon, who distributes digital music already, Google hasn’t struck a deal with any labels.

Google Music will have features that Amazon doesn’t, including a service that automatically creates playlists for users based on similar sounding songs. Google will also offer more free storage than Amazon does. The service, which rolls out in an invite-only beta today, will offer users the ability to store up to 20,000 songs without charge. Amazon’s service launched with 5 GB, or about 2,000 songs, free of charge.

Google expects the service to roll out to all U.S. google users within weeks of the launch. Exact pricing hasn’t be revealed yet, but it will most likely remain partially free.

As for Apple, they are working on their own version of a cloud-based music service, with licensing pacts with two major music labels. Apple’s service is expected to be launched next month. Google Music better have some pretty fancy features.

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