Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 99 posts

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#81

Post by ChuckMcM »

run4yourlives wrote: post #58

I love dropbox (use it daily, but only the free version). To be honest I think this decision will probably be looked on as a mistake. Personally, I'm moving to iCloud soon. The reason for this is that it will enable syncing of the notoriously closed Apps and music that come with Apple. The non-apple crowd will not see this benefit, but once Google or Facebook decide they want to be in the cloud storage game too, Drop…

Time will tell of course. Sort of like Groupon turning down Google's 6B$ offer, might have been a good thing, might have been majorly stupid. (And of course '9 digit' includes $100,000,000)

There is a lot to like about Dropbox, but you really really can't just brush off the installed base of Apple. If anyone has their customers by the short and curlies Apple does.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#82

Post by nanospider »

profitbaron wrote: post #40
uptown wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"iCloud is never going to be on Windows" The same was said about iTunes, but it eventually appeared there. It wouldn't surprise me if more aspects of iCloud eventually appear on Windows.

iCloud is available on Windows - https://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/pc.html

Woah... 5GB! I'm so there.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#83

Post by erikpukinskis »

run4yourlives wrote: post #65
ernestipark wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people are taking a very narrow minded view of Dropbox. You're absolutely right that iCloud, potential entries of Google or other big players could hurt Dropbox and be competitive. However you have to imagine Dropbox is looking beyond "just file syncing" on client computers. Do you think when Jobs re-joined Apple, he was thinking "lets make Apple a better computer company". Dropbox gave an info session/tech-t…

I don't disagree with you re: iCloud, as that Apple's MO in all their actions. However I can only gauge risk based on what I can see. It's possible that dropbox can revolutionize some new space that changes the equation, but this isn't evident right now, nor is it easily foreseen to be imminent. Given that, it doesn't look like a viable strategy for them, at least from my removed vantage point.

Did you factor this into your strategy viability assessment?:

If DropBox sold to Apple, they'd be out of The Game. Instead of carving out their own niche, with the thrill and risk that goes with it, they'd be supporting a game that Apple has already defined, and is winning. They wouldn't be able to gallop forward towards a future of their choosing, with competitors making them Better from all sides, they'd be IT support for the iApps division.

Do you factor the love of entrepreneurship into your equation?

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#85

Post by chubs »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #83
run4yourlives wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you re: iCloud, as that Apple's MO in all their actions. However I can only gauge risk based on what I can see. It's possible that dropbox can revolutionize some new space that changes the equation, but this isn't evident right now, nor is it easily foreseen to be imminent. Given that, it doesn't look like a viable strategy for them, at least from my removed vantage point.

Did you factor this into your strategy viability assessment?: If DropBox sold to Apple, they'd be out of The Game. Instead of carving out their own niche, with the thrill and risk that goes with it, they'd be supporting a game that Apple has already defined, and is winning. They wouldn't be able to gallop forward towards a future of their choosing, with competitors making them Better from all sides, they'd be IT supp…

But here's the thing: if i had sold out for almost a billion, you could either see that as a retirement, or you could see it as a platform that you can use for even bigger entrepreneurial projects? Ie with that kind of money behind you, you can take on, say, healthcare or something much bigger.

There can be more to it than 'if i take the money, i'm forced to spend the rest of my days on a yacht, enjoying life but wasting away'. At least that'd be how i'd justify selling out to myself :)

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#86

Post by keeptrying »

Any company that mediates between a bunch of other companies which each provide similar complementary products/services will always be in business.

Dropbox is aiming to support every system under the sun. Android, Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and all the hardware that they run on. Thats why Dropbox is bigger than Apple's iCloud.

Apple isnt going to manufacture every device you own. But you will want your files on every device you own. Lets say you have the following: Samsung phone, ipad, windoze at work and a linux system you hack on at home. Install dropbox and you have all your files everywhere.

Hell I dont even want my own devices. I want to be able to go anywhere, use any make of OS/hardware and have all my stuff available to me. Why? Because its so damn convenient.

Dropbox is building that. And its a very solid business business model.

Again any company that mediates between a bunch of other companies which each provide similar complement products/services will always be in business.

Dropbox is infrastructure. And one that creates a huge convenience for the end user.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#87

Post by elithrar »

urza wrote: post #79
ernestipark wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people are taking a very narrow minded view of Dropbox. You're absolutely right that iCloud, potential entries of Google or other big players could hurt Dropbox and be competitive. However you have to imagine Dropbox is looking beyond "just file syncing" on client computers. Do you think when Jobs re-joined Apple, he was thinking "lets make Apple a better computer company". Dropbox gave an info session/tech-t…

they want to be the "Filesystem of the internet" - this is scary, I really hope they won't succeed.

> they want to be the "Filesystem of the internet" - this is scary, I really hope they won't succeed.

Why? Are you interpreting this differently from me?

I see them as wanting to provide universal storage for web & mobile applications, in a way that allows you to access your documents & photos across multiple devices and platforms.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#88

Post by Woost »

Semiapies wrote: post #67

I simply don't believe this story. If you have $100+ million to throw at as fundamentally simple a product as Dropbox is, you have more than enough to make a good clone of it. It's not like Jobs can deny it now.

Plus there's the issue of time: If you have 100+million to throw at something and get it right now(in 6 months after due diligence), or spend the 100 mil on an in house project, wait 3 years, and get it then...which would you take?

Personally, if I had that kind of money to throw around, I'd want it now, so I can start implementing my vision now.

Don't take the numbers here too literally, 3 years might only be 1 year. I highly doubt it'd be less than that, given Apple's size.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#89

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

lwhi wrote: post #16
startupcto wrote: post #14

I think the fundamental differences between Dropbox and iCloud is the sharing feature and Windows/Linux/Mac/etc support. iCloud is never going to be on Windows and our company uses Dropbox to share project resources and our machines are a mixed of PCs and Macs so iCloud means nothing for us.

Exactly. As Steve Jobs is quoted in the article; Dropbox is only half the solution. Apple's 'full' solution involves the necessary purchase of their hardware and software as well. Dropbox works across the board, without prejudice.

No, the other half is getting people to use the product. It's easier if you can make it seamless and bake it in rather than a third party solution. They probably wanted to own the solution to leverage any trust they have with their customers.

It's the same thing that happened with backups, they came up with Time Machine. Pretty much all the Mac users I know have a Time Machine backup.

I believe the same thing will happen with version control once Versions support is wide spread. Normal people will know about keeping versions of their work rather than multiple differently named files.

Re: Dropbox Said No To “Nine-Digit” Acquisition Offer From Steve Jobs

#90

Post by Semiapies »

badclient wrote: post #74
Semiapies wrote: post #67

I simply don't believe this story. If you have $100+ million to throw at as fundamentally simple a product as Dropbox is, you have more than enough to make a good clone of it. It's not like Jobs can deny it now.

you have more than enough to make a good clone of it You are being naive if you think that given enough money, you can clone any product. That's simply false, especially for large orgs where more money invested towards a project can even become more of a problem than aid.

Sounds like someone once read a blog post about The Mythical Man-Month!

Hint: lots of companies that aren't five guys and a GitHub account produce software. Apple is one of them, and DropBox isn't that mysterious a product.

Post reply on HN