Mailbox learns the ups and downs of being a small startup
Just in case you are wondering (you’re probably not) email is here to stay. The people at Orchestra have realized this and they are trying to get your mailbox to zero and to “Put email in its place.”
So last week Orchestra released the MailBox app that would solve these problems and just under a million people responded by downloading the free app. The problem is that more than 800,000 people can’t use the app’s features yet. Instead of seeing the mailbox interface when you login, you see a countdown to using the app that seems to be going at a gruelingly slow pace.
This to my knowledge is the first time that an app developer has chosen this method to release its app. Usually companies use invites, not reservations, to allow a limited amount of users in at a time. That method leaves most people in the dark about when they will get an invite. Mailbox’s very cool countdown allows users to see their place in line, the amount of people behind them and talk with others who are waiting in line on Twitter.
All was not smooth sailing in the first week, they experienced problems with syncing and pushing notifications to users. The company has been very open about the their struggles and they have taken to Twitter to help people with their registrations and to assure everyone that they are doing their best to get everyone into the app as soon as possible.
A MailBox employee lets us know about the first week and all nighters:
https://twitter.com/stflory/status/302526951074168832
As of this writing, mailbox allows users to use all of the apps features for free, but in the future we may see some pricing plans for premium services that the app can provide. This will allow for the company to start making a profit on the millions of users who are sure to start using this app in the future. If you are stuck with a mailbox that is overflowing with email that you keep saying you are gonna get to tomorrow, well why don’t you get in line and try Mailbox.
Erik Hoffman is a web designer and computer consultant. He has run a computer consulting company for the past four years where he enhanced businesses by designing and developing user-friendly websites that have helped companies reach targeted revenues.