Hynek Hampl Long expected application Mailbox is available for download from the App Store from February 7. After downloading, however, instead of an e-mail client, you will end up with a countdown and wait in line for quite a long time.
The main reason why the Mailbox is only available after the "queue" is explained by the developers on their blog. Their software is dependent on servers, so a huge influx of iOS users would likely end in disaster and service failure. While this is a very likely scenario, it doesn't change the fact that you simply don't try the app after downloading it. You have to join a virtual queue and wait until it's your turn. First come, first served email. Is it really a concern about the functionality of the service, or just fancy marketing?
Even though people don't like waiting in lines, they still prefer to wait a long time rather than miss out on the next "wow app" that everyone wants.
And that's what the majority of people follow, sometimes even unintentionally. You think that's smart. Until you realize it's just a marketing ploy - to create as much buzz as possible around the app, while everyone knows what "the Mailbox" is. And everyone will want it, because not everyone can have it - yet. Users with a smaller number in the queue will brag on social networks, and Mailbox will thus get into the subconscious of others.
It's certainly a great idea to kick the user, but I don't think it's fair to them. You may argue that the app is free. However, the developers recently said that additional advanced features will be paid for over time. So we cannot deny them the fact that they are cleverly starting to create a large pool of potential customers.
Be that as it may, instead of excited anticipation, it eventually brought a great wave of negative reactions. And I join them. Currently, when you download the application, you "step up" into a line where more than 600 people will be in front of you. And believe me, the number is only going down very, very slowly. Although the app is free, it poisons you from the first launch. And sometimes it doesn't even happen, users often write on Twitter that they deleted the application immediately after trying the queue.
And I'm not the only one outraged by the developers' actions:
Martin Žufánek, @zufanek:
- Tweet: "Wait x-weeks until it's your turn so they could use the Mailbox app to download mail from gmail? I roll my eyes like Hurvínek."
instanttaylor, @instantaylor:
- Tweet: "Like everything else in San Francisco… I guess I'm in a long ass line for @mailbox."
- [“As with everything else in San Francisco… Guess I'm in a damn long line at the @mailbox.”]
Muscle, @Stanosaurus:
- Tweet: "So #Mailbox is the first app I haven't used yet and I've already installed an update. At this rate, the only function I'll use will be DELETE"
And when I asked, it didn't get much better:
Link conversation
And how does Mailbox (left) compare to the Sparrow client on another App Store? (Author: Federico Viticci)
A much better solution would be a closed beta version followed by a paid version. Or any other option, really, except this one, which pisses off otherwise spending iOS users.
I believe that the servers would most likely not be able to withstand the huge rush of curious users. But I also don't believe that it's just like that, and that there isn't clever marketing by Mailbox developers behind it all. We will probably find out how successful it will be in a few days, rather weeks. Personally, I just hope that a similar trend in offering iOS applications does not catch on.
:-D omg. please, it would like some substantive topics - and by the way, the last time I heard such indignation was when Sparrow didn't have a push. well, given that in order for push to work, it has to be kept on the servers, i.e. it really has to let people in slowly - I'm not surprised at all.
so either wait or don't download the app. but downloading the app for free and then swearing at it reminds me of the free Christmas app from Apple :-/
I also did it before registration, but how do I use it now? How do I proceed in order to use the registration somehow?
How is it better than the official iOS client?
except for that queue...in everything. from functionality, gesture control, through speed to graphic design
Mailbox has been written about for a long time, I've been waiting for it since last year, if the "editor" had made at least a little effort, he could have gotten access to the beta version. And if he had at least followed foreign news, he could have registered a very low serial number in time and there could have been a review instead. But it's probably much easier to try to ride the wave of fashion and piss people off.
Mailbox looks like a revolutionary solution for working with e-mail, if someone has 10000 e-mails in their inbox, then it's hard to understand the point, but I have never seen, at least according to the information that is available, such efficient work with e-mail in my life.
Even gmail was initially only for invitations, if the service is not fast enough, it will end, no one will use it.
And a message for the editor-in-chief, his job is not to put every nonsense on the air and not to make it fly around the world in a flash.
I personally agree with the editor. It's just that if they hadn't advertised it for months and released teasers about how revolutionary and MUST HAVE it is, then let them queue up people or recruit new users now. But thanks to that massage, I currently know about 10 people who are alternately rejoicing and sighing at how long they are in the queue, but not a single one who knows how the application actually works. that's a rather strange result IMHO and I'm not surprised that someone complains about it.
for me, the application is useless - I use several accounts, work on Exchange, private on several freemails, so even if Mail worked with gmail as if from partes, it only solves a fraction of the problem for me and it is not worth complicating my work in multiple clients because of it .
if I add to that the pointless queue (with all due respect, it's not my problem that they're packed), then I don't see any reason to bother trying it out. When it can work universally with emails and I can at least try it painlessly, then we have something to talk about.
I would also agree with the author. they should have counted with great effort. if the service were temporarily unavailable, or if they had problems, that is understandable. but I also deleted it, I don't want to wait a few weeks. but I'm not angry about it. :)
I'm glad that among the Apple fans there is also a person who knows how it goes when an editor tries to get access to beta versions of applications. At least Mr. Jan knows that! Hurrah.
It's nice to know that even the authors of the articles have their defenders, isn't it, Mr. Editor.
From the text of the article, it appears that the author did not even know about the beta version, let alone try it.
But regardless, he could have managed a better number than 542907 with a little effort, right? ;-)
I completely agree. I'm very interested in technological news, so that I see what's new in the world every day. And I'm about 170.000 in a row in Mailbox. So, dear editors, read the contribution from Mr. Jan, and if you don't understand, read it again and again and again. Lately, it's all negative here, unfortunately...
I've known about Mailbox since the first video was made. The app is nice, but I wasn't impressed, so I didn't sign up for Beta testing. I follow foreign news and I knew about it as soon as the application was released. I didn't sign up because I didn't want the app - the screenshot in the article with 5xx xxx in the order is just a sample for readers. And do you think that everyone has time to watch what happens every hour on the Internet? Even the faster ones got to some 200th place. As a result, the slower ones end up with a huge queue in front of them, and instead of enjoying using the app, they get bored and delete the app. As for the review, surely a colleague is already testing the application and preparing something. But why is it taking him so long? Guess… :)
(Otherwise, I understand your comment. It's my subjective opinion on the development of the situation, and you have another, which I don't take away from you)
I would like to know why the mail client wants to connect to the developer's server? I want to connect to my email and nowhere else...
That's because of notifications. Sparrow had exactly the same problem and they finally solved it by simply not putting notifications in the app.
As a result, this is due to Apple's policy. When I want to make an email client for Gmail, I think to myself - it doesn't matter to me that Gmail has billions of users, because I'm going to work with their servers, right? And I don't need mine.
However, if I want to have push notifications, I need my own server. And if I want to make a client for such a big service like gmail, I need a proper server farm, otherwise it will fail me.
BTW, this is a big reason why a meaningful email client (for gmail) will (at least as far as push notifications are concerned) only be the default one from Apple and the one from Google (they already have those farms, don't they...).
Although I have data with Apple and some old ones with Google, I certainly do not intend to further extend it into the hands of unknown companies with such a stupid policy as they have shown with this application.
Today I have a number of 42.000, yesterday I was at 62.000 and when I downloaded the app, it was at 64.000. So, in my opinion, it speeds things up and I expect to get inside tomorrow at the latest ;)
I don't understand the reasoning behind server loads. The data should ONLY be downloaded from the Google server, max. ask for an update, which is done via the apple server anyway, right? What lies is this, it is not markeTHINK.
If the article had any level, these lay questions would be dropped, unfortunately it was written by some student…
It's not just notifications of new e-mails, that's not possible on iOS without its own servers,
but Mailbox is much more than a client, simply think of it as a to-do list where email=task. But that's not all, they use their own communication system, which is supposed to be significantly faster than imap. With the potential number of users, it is a huge burden, either a lot of capital will go into it or one of the big players will buy it, ideally it could be Apple, since the young Cue is already working on it.
that's right, it's not about imap, but the data goes through their own servers, which significantly speeds up the whole process. they say it really works and it's the fastest client.
as for the waiting list, I don't think it's some kind of marketing conspiracy, but simply a failure to master the estimation. they should have listed the application as paid, after all clear is paid and popular. on the one hand, there would be money from it, there would be no mega effort and more investment could be made in servers. this application was highly anticipated and covered in the media months before the release, it was clear that it would be a blockbuster and they could make money from it and the user could be satisfied. wait a week for the application? that is absurd
the reservation could also be made online, so when I downloaded it now, I am "only" 135 and behind me some 000 :D
we are the same way :)
Can someone explain to me how it is a better client than origo which is in ios?
I read everywhere how it is not great and so far I have not been convinced by anything that would interest me...
I don't want to mess with the application!!! I'm just interested in the comparison with the origo app…
I personally hope that Apple will come to their senses and pull it from the AppStore :D because that's the only thing they deserve...
So far it reminds me of Czech Dream, I'm almost afraid that the whole application is just a counter :-)
So I do not agree with the article at all.
They have clearly explained the reason why this is so on the blog and I don't see why to question it. In addition, the activation of new users is accelerated, but in case of problems it can also stop temporarily:
"At first, the pace may seem slow. This is by design. If we run into unexpected snags, we may even stop filling reservations temporarily. But as the service grows, we should be able to dramatically increase this pace until we no longer need a reservation system at all."
I don't understand why you should immediately look for a marketing conspiracy behind it. I'm about 400K in the queue, so I expect to wait a few weeks for it and try it after that. Then I'll either leave it or delete it, but I don't understand why I should get upset like a little boy that I want to try it right away. Because that's how this article affects me.
The application is a pleasure to work with, don't let the editors annoy you in the queue.
And perhaps a "comfort" for those of you with higher numbers, it does have problems at times
correctly decode the Czech nabodenicka, bug report described and sent,
so hopefully they will prepare an update before your turn.
I have no registration or interest. An application that doesn't work for me is worthless or free.
When it's functional I might come back and change my mind, until then it's a dead app.