↵

Mailbox is here ! Get the app

over 10 years ago from Nathan F, Researcher @thebasics

  • Justin EdmundJustin Edmund, over 10 years ago

    Echoing my sentiments from Twitter:

    The reservation system is a novel and elegant solution for needing to distribute load, but I think a normal person would get fed up and delete the app. When designing systems, especially gatekeepers for our apps, we should understand that we, the makers, are almost never the target audience—unless you have little desire to grow your business. Most people aren't us.

    2 points
    • Allan GrinshteinAllan Grinshtein, over 10 years ago

      Sounds like the waiting list needs a time estimate. Big numbers are scary.

      1 point
    • Kevin TwohyKevin Twohy, over 10 years ago

      Totally agree with what you said. But! "Most people" don't download apps the day they come out. Most people that end up downloading this app will be able to use it immediately. As it is, the early-adopting, first-in-lining, app-tweeting crowd is busy promoting this app to their friends by comparing their number in line -- effectively saying, without even having used the app: "man...this thing is really worth waiting for. better get in on it now!" I'd bet that their friends who download the app today ~won't delete it. They'll just close it. And get a push notification in a couple days telling them that they're in. That's tens of thousands of users they wouldn't have touched without this launch strategy.

      Personally, I tip my hat to these guys for architecting this launch strategy...and cringe for the inevitable hoard of apps/services that will surely attempt to copy it.

      0 points
      • Connor Tomas O'BrienConnor Tomas O'Brien, over 10 years ago

        I'm not sure what it's like in the US, but here in Australia Mailbox's rating in the app store is a firm one-and-a-half stars. "Regular" people are finding out about Mailbox by browsing the "Top Apps" list, downloading it, getting confused by the queue, then leaving negative reviews.

        The queue is certainly a novelty, and has generated some interest, but I wonder whether the Mailbox team couldn't have handled it differently.

        0 points