
Steve Jobs was right: Dropbox is a feature, not a product - azazo
http://pandodaily.com/2012/02/26/steve-jobs-was-right-dropbox-is-a-feature-not-a-product/
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kemayo
It's a feature, but it's not necessarily a feature I can see any OS provider
committing to providing properly. Because the really really really important
part of Dropbox, for me, is that it's the same cloud storage syncing across
_several_ OSes.

Essentially, I am unconvinced that Apple/Microsoft/whoever wants to write a
wonderfully transparent cross-platform experience which might, to an extent,
subvert their own core platform.

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true_religion
Maybe they'll create an open standard for file sharing, and let every OS owner
write their own client to communicate using that standard....

As I write this, I realize how naively optimistic that sounds. :-\

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i386
Imagine the implications of sever/client combination bugs. Hello, data loss.

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DrJokepu
Where I work, Dropbox (and its folder sharing feature) has completely replaced
Sharepoint for storing, managing and distributing corporate documents. Just
think about the significance of that for a moment.

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cloudwalking
Deep iCloud integration into BOTH iOS and OS X is what makes iCloud
incredible. Unfortunately Dropbox can't achieve this on Apple's platforms.

What Dropbox must accomplish is iCloud-level integration in Android. Pictures,
app state, music... it all needs to automatically sync between phone, tablet,
and desktop. Dropbox knows this--they're already cutting deals with HTC to be
a fundamental part of Sense UI.

But iOS is lost for Dropbox. They will never be able to achieve the kind of
deep integration that Apple will build with iCloud.

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jsz0
Dropbox is a very good _short term_ solution but I do think ultimately iCloud,
Google's upcoming service, and Microsoft's SkyDrive will win-out. Being cross
platform is an asset today but we're clearly moving towards a world where the
cost of using multiple platform is just too high for most people. They will
stick within the same ecosystem because it's just much easier.

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rcthompson
Even if every person picks one "platform" (e.g. All Apple products with
iCloud) and sticks with it, they still need to share files with each other, so
there's still a need for Dropbox (or more generally, cross-platform file
syncing).

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benevpayor
Agreed. _You_ may end up going with one platform, but I'll never have all my
collaborators on my platform of choice.

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ZanderEarth32
I am not sure I understand why the author feels that the 'perfect syncing'
tool has to be free, or close to it? Syncing files between multiple devices
isn't something everyone needs, or wants, so it's a premium function. For my
needs, Dropbox is perfect.

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kemayo
A useful element of Dropbox is the shared folder stuff, as a way of passing
files which are too big to email to someone else, without having to deal with
web hosting. If you tell someone "go spend $X to sign up so I can send you a
file", it pretty much kills that feature.

Admittedly, I'm not certain that this is actually essential as a core element
of Dropbox.

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Zarel
It's interesting that he says:

"There’s no way, as far as I know, to keep my IM windows synced between
devices."

Trillian introduced this feature around a year ago:

<http://blog.trillian.im/?p=1949>

[http://arstechnica.com/software/news/2011/03/hands-on-
trilli...](http://arstechnica.com/software/news/2011/03/hands-on-trillian-
conversation-sync-is-mobile-messaging-panacea.ars)

It's sometimes buggy, but it's definitely the first client to offer such a
feature.

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pclark
Meebo has had this feature for many many years.

~~~
chii
but meebo is web based, and it isn't as good as a desktop chat client.

~~~
heretohelp
Meebo has a native iOS client.

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justjimmy
Dropbox does 1 thing beautifully – sharing and syncing files across different
platforms. Alot of people are over looking the sharing aspect.

That’s it and that’s all it needs to be. It doesn’t try to be all flashy and
start adding more features on top of a core and proven principle. No it
doesn’t need to start syncing screens. It doesn’t need to sync your drive
states. It doesn’t need to start syncing your calendar. Etc etc.

It's more akin to a service than a feature. And there's nothing wrong with
being a service!

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codgercoder
Of course, in the Jobsian view of the World, everything is a feature and there
are no 3rd party products.

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MaysonL
It's not a feature, it's not a product, it's a platform.

