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> Once you begin using Dropbox, you become more and more indifferent to the hardware you are using, as well as the operating system on that device. Dropbox comm

> Once you begin using Dropbox, you become more and more indifferent to the hardware you are using, as well as the operating system on that device. Dropbox commoditizes your devices and their OS, by being your “state” system in the sky. I strongly disagree with this. Dropbox is great, but it only affects a subset of my experience on any given hardware/software platform. Dropbox cannot change the aesthetic of Android in a way that would make me chose it over iOS. Likewise for OS X and Windows. Dropbox cannot change a cheap, plastic Acer laptop in to a unibody MacBook Air. If you care about these things, the statement above is proven false for your use case. "State" is plumbing; Dropbox is plumbing. It's damn good plumbing, but it's plumbing none the less. I think maybe the author is struggling with how to frame the disruption. I know I am. To say that Dropbox is damn good plumbing is not an admonishment. I don't want to live without damn good plumbing. The best technology is transparent -- no, invisible. I use 1Password. I have two laptops, an iPad, and an iPhone. I don't have to think about syncing passwords between these devices. It "just happens". I don't see Dropbox working in the background with 1Password to sync my passwords, but I know it's responsible. Here's the rub: Apple isn't the facilitator of this magic, and that is the disruption. What do we call this though? It's not the OS. It's not the hardware. It's something new. Some call it the "platform", but what is that? Everything is a platform. Apple created iCloud as a "platform". iCloud provides the plumbing for my contacts, calendars, apps, music, etc. Everyone expects them to expand this to include third-party services. Google has Gmail. Windows has (had) Live. The trouble for Dropbox is that Apple/Google/Microsoft hold the keys to the user's data. These three players have to individually agree to allow Dropbox in to their ecosystem, and they all know that this act would commoditize their platform. I think Dropbox is going to have a really tough time making inroads there. I don't see any of these vendors making the "cloud platform" interchangeable on their respective devices/OS.

sounds 15y ago
Excellent comment, though I have a slightly different opinion. But Re: Apple/Google/Microsoft not permitting Dropbox to invade the "office": it used to be just Microsoft. In fact, for many companies, it still is. Google is trying to carve out a piece of the action. They don't want to always be a search company that has some other red-headed step-projects. They've got their office suite, their OS, their browser, and their plan for world domination (ok, maybe). Apple is trying to create their own walled garden. But in "the office," that just means things like VMWare. In many ways, Apple positioned themselves where Microsoft was trying to go. Now they are faced with the difficult challenge of out-Microsofting Microsoft to capture the hold-outs. So will Dropbox "kill" Microsoft? No. (To clarify, none of Microsoft's competitors are going to be the stake to the heart.) Dropbox is a sync+backup service. I'm not disagreeing with the article: there's plenty of room for them to grow. But only Microsoft can kill Microsoft.
frankydp 15y ago
I believe you may have take the quoted out of context. I interpreted that sentence to say that, Dropbox allows the state system to behave the same regardless of the commodity used to interact with it. I do not believe the discussion was about how you interact with the file but how you interact with the storage of the file. I do think that that concept is not quite as disruptive for the industry as is implied though. Also, could you call the "magic" a harbor? Harbor's allow anything to dock and trade regardless of their size, shape, or origin. Only half joking. You are dead on about the barriers of entry though. There are goliath industries out there that will defend there profits to the death, rather than pivot or expand. Not so much the big 3 in my mind, but all of the supporting companies and service providers.
- bradleyland 15y ago
  I feel pretty confident that the context all supports the point he's making. The lead in is about how wonderfully Dropbox has executed; and they have. Then he states the core point twice linking terms like "indifferent" with "hardware" and "operating system". The point is so central to the piece that he underlined it. Then stated explicitly that it "commoditizes your devices and OS". Then, in the last paragraph uses the term "cross-platform". The author really does believe that "state" is where Dropbox is headed, but I believe there are significant barriers there. Short of an anti-trust suit, I don't see that barrier coming down, which is going to be a significant impediment to Dropbox's ability to offer a "cross-platform" solution.

sounds 15y ago

Excellent comment, though I have a slightly different opinion. But Re: Apple/Google/Microsoft not permitting Dropbox to invade the "office": it used to be just Microsoft. In fact, for many companies, it still is. Google is trying to carve out a piece of the action. They don't want to always be a search company that has some other red-headed step-projects. They've got their office suite, their OS, their browser, and their plan for world domination (ok, maybe). Apple is trying to create their own walled garden. But in "the office," that just means things like VMWare. In many ways, Apple positioned themselves where Microsoft was trying to go. Now they are faced with the difficult challenge of out-Microsofting Microsoft to capture the hold-outs. So will Dropbox "kill" Microsoft? No. (To clarify, none of Microsoft's competitors are going to be the stake to the heart.) Dropbox is a sync+backup service. I'm not disagreeing with the article: there's plenty of room for them to grow. But only Microsoft can kill Microsoft.

frankydp 15y ago

I believe you may have take the quoted out of context. I interpreted that sentence to say that, Dropbox allows the state system to behave the same regardless of the commodity used to interact with it. I do not believe the discussion was about how you interact with the file but how you interact with the storage of the file. I do think that that concept is not quite as disruptive for the industry as is implied though. Also, could you call the "magic" a harbor? Harbor's allow anything to dock and trade regardless of their size, shape, or origin. Only half joking. You are dead on about the barriers of entry though. There are goliath industries out there that will defend there profits to the death, rather than pivot or expand. Not so much the big 3 in my mind, but all of the supporting companies and service providers.

bradleyland 15y ago
I feel pretty confident that the context all supports the point he's making. The lead in is about how wonderfully Dropbox has executed; and they have. Then he states the core point twice linking terms like "indifferent" with "hardware" and "operating system". The point is so central to the piece that he underlined it. Then stated explicitly that it "commoditizes your devices and OS". Then, in the last paragraph uses the term "cross-platform". The author really does believe that "state" is where Dropbox is headed, but I believe there are significant barriers there. Short of an anti-trust suit, I don't see that barrier coming down, which is going to be a significant impediment to Dropbox's ability to offer a "cross-platform" solution.