Orchestra, Inc. has announced a reservation system for Mailbox, its task-orientated email app which we reported on earlier and which has received many pre-launch accolades from tech sites.

welcome to mailbox
Mailbox, which will initially be compatible only with Gmail, aims to keep your inbox clean by allowing you to use swipe gestures to quickly move each email out of your inbox by deleting it, archiving it, assigning it a category or - perhaps most interestingly - setting it to pop back into your inbox later.

mailbox2
When you sign up to reserve your copy of the free app, Orchestra sends you a text message with your reservation number, together with a code. Once the app is available for download, you'll need to enter your code to complete the download.

Business Insider observes that Orchestra has an interesting link to Apple: one of the company's software engineers is Adam Cue, son of Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, who is responsible for iCloud services - including email. Business Insider suggests that the relationship is likely to put Mailbox on Apple's radar as a potential acquisition, but it is unclear whether Apple has any actual interest in Orchestra's ideas for email management.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

rampancy Avatar
168 months ago
And how long will it be before this app goes the same way as Sparrow?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
petsounds Avatar
168 months ago
This is the most overhyped app I've ever seen. I do not think it looks very innovative or useful, all of your e-mail gets routed through their server, and it only works with gmail. Yet, every time Mailbox's developers sneeze the tech bloggers are all over it, tweeting rapturous praise.

And this "reservation system" seems very suspicious. Give them your phone number? I don't think so! This is a piece of software. Spin up more servers if you have too much demand. If they can't quickly respond to user load, their architecture was badly designed. The tech press should be slamming them for this, but again it's all fairy dust and rainbows.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bigjnyc Avatar
168 months ago
There's no way I am giving these guys my phone number. what kind of a horse and pony show is this for an app? why not just launch it normally in the app store like any other app?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andrewweiser Avatar
168 months ago
Can't wait for this app to launch. I got in a while ago, I lucked out with #1999. Hopefully I'll get in on launch date.

I'd assume that the IMAP servers would be customizable. But I could be wrong.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
168 months ago
"u reserve a copy" since when is an app limited on the appstore and "on high demand" lol

sounds like data fishing to me
They don't ask for email, they ask for a telephone number and mine is prepaid so is there anything to loose??


-------

Does not work for where I am,got no SMS from them even though they say it's international.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Compile 'em all Avatar
168 months ago
Not sure if it will replace Mail app for me but I'm quite curious. Signed up yesterday #

----------

"u reserve a copy" since when is an app limited on the appstore and "on high demand" lol



sounds like data fishing to me

It is about being able to scale. With a reservation system they can scale properly since they can know exactly how many are using it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
amazon black friday

Amazon Kicks Off Black Friday Sale With Major Discounts on Apple Accessories, TVs, and More

Sunday November 23, 2025 7:12 am PST by
Black Friday deals have begun, and Amazon is one of the best places you can find steep discounts on numerous products this week. We've already collected all of the best Apple-related deals you'll find at Amazon (and other retailers) in our Apple Black Friday Deals post, so below you'll find other discounts on devices like Anker accessories, Beats headphones, video games, TVs, and more. Note:...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...