Dropbox Indeed Balked at Major Acquisition Offer from Apple

I don't know if acquisition would've been a good thing or a bad thing... but I do know that iCloud's ultimate success will mean ultimate failure for Dropbox.

Apple's vision is a 'fileless' solution, where you simply trust that all your data is 'there' somewhere. Dropbox is all about files on a filesystem. I personally like the idea of knowing where exactly my files are (and knowing that I have a copy on my local filesystem), so Dropbox is perfect for me (has been for a few years now).

However, I know many people who just type up a document and take pictures, and could care less how they're stored, whether they're backed up four times, and how to get to them—as long as they can.

I wonder, though, why Apple wanted to buy Dropbox... was it more of a goodwill gesture? iCloud seems to not really need Dropbox's particular functionality. Maybe the syncing skillset and talent.

Doubtful. The real reason why Dropbox is super successful is that its platform agnostic: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Windows Phone, etc... Apple would have taken that company, sucked it up, discontinued all clients and probably just come out with the same version of iCloud today. Remember they rarely buy companies for their actual product but for their talent.

Don't forget that not everyone uses all Apple devices, and iCloud is still rather neutered on Windows compared to what it can do in OS X. It only has access to photo stream and nothing else; no app data.

DropBox will continue on regardless of iCloud. Why? With drop box you can load any type of file you want. iCloud is limited - applications have to explicity support iCloud.

There are more potential users for Dropbox than iCloud, so I don't see why iCloud determines Dropbox's future. iCloud is far less flexible.

I don't know if acquisition would've been a
good thing or a bad thing... but I do know that iCloud's ultimate success will mean ultimate failure for Dropbox.

Apple's vision is a 'fileless' solution, where you simply trust that all your data is 'there' somewhere. Dropbox is all about files on a filesystem. I personally like the idea of knowing where exactly my files are (and knowing that I have a copy on my local filesystem), so Dropbox is perfect for me (has been for a few years now).

However, I know many people who just type up a document and take pictures, and could care less how they're stored, whether they're backed up four times, and how to get to them—as long as they can.

I wonder, though, why Apple wanted to buy Dropbox... was it more of a goodwill gesture? iCloud seems to not really need Dropbox's particular functionality. Maybe the syncing skillset and talent.

They could have taken the money and lived happily ever after. That they chose not to but stick with the company they created somehow makes me admire them.

iCloud is so mac-focused and mac-limited in a way that dropbox has never been, that I just don't see how iCloud can realistically "kill" dropbox.

I use dropbox every day. I take it for granted. When I sit down at someone else's computer, i notice that my dropbox accounts aren't there pretty much right away.

I've got drop box on my macs, my android phones, and my pc.

Apple's solution wants me to buy an iphone and remove all options and choice from my world completely.

But what is the icloud analog to having a customer send you production files via a shared dropbox folder, which then syncs to your phone and your laptop and your work computer automatically? There isn't one. dropbox does this intelligently and seamlessly and QUICKLY. Apple is too worried about keeping everyone in their universe, and most people aren't in their universe to begin with, so the market for dropbox is bigger just from the get-go.

John Cusack owns Dropbox? :eek:

bad move by dropbox,

iCloud is now competition and will beat it

why should you be interested in dropbox after iCloud release?

I'm interested in Dropbox precisely BECAUSE of the iCloud release.
After iCloud was announced, and no iDisk replacement was announced, I immediately signed up for DropBox. Umm, they're kinda not the same service at all. :rolleyes: