Apple Tries To Acquire Dropbox for $800 Million, Dropbox Refuses

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Dude, you really need to loosen your prejudice a little; I think in the above scenario Dropbox would be just fine on the Mac as well. Or do you really think that all Mac users have stopped using Skype just because FaceTime is available??

Doesn't that make the situation even better for Dropbox?
boswd was replying to afa's comment that Dropbox will feel like idiots if Apple makes its own service, with the fact that Dropbox will be unafected because it will still have PC and Android users. Your statement doesn't contradict his.

[afa]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Sums up Apple really. Buy out the opposition if possible and litigate against the remainder.

Good kit, but a company with below the belt business ethics.

Ummm... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a fairly common business tactic used by corporations for years? (At least the "buy out" part.)

Let's not make it seem as if Apple is doing something unheard of. Google, for instance, bought YouTube for $1.6bn rather than try to compete with them with the Google Video thing.

[crossi]

If apple buys it, I'll stop using it.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Sums up Apple really. Buy out the opposition if possible and litigate against the remainder.

Was there a smiley missing?
How many companies has Apple bought out, as compared to say Google or Amazon?

[kjk]

$800 million seems really low-Dropbox just got $4 Billion in funding-where did this rumor come from, and how old is it?

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Was there a smiley missing?
How many companies has Apple bought out, as compared to say Google or Amazon?

I can't think of any, actually.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

I can't think of any, actually.

Quattro, which turned into the anemic iAds.
Poly9, which may be the next Google Maps.
Siri, which may be their OS voice recognition front end for iOS 5.
Intrinsity, which is for their processors.

That's all for the couple years. Apple isn't really a big acquisition company.

[stonetools]

Generally any Apple rumor gets mass coverage on the tech blogs if there is anything to it. Apple is about to roll out iCloud with similiar functionality- maybe better functionality if its going to be like Lion's Airdrop feature.

I'm gonna vote no on this rumor.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Dude, you really need to loosen your prejudice a little; I think in the above scenario Dropbox would be just fine on the Mac as well. Or do you really think that all Mac users have stopped using Skype just because FaceTime is available??

Not really sure what you are talking about? I was responding to this comment

Of course, the risk is that Apple will introduce a similar service as part of iCloud that millions will jump on to because it's by Apple...



What I was saying is if Apple did introduce a direct spec for spec service as part of iCloud but if that service only worked between iDevices then I don't think Dropbox would have much to worry about everyone flocking over to Apple's service, because it would only work between iDevices.
Dropbox would still have a healthy life in the Window's and Android world.

Nothing to do with being prejudice.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I use Dropbox (who on MobileRead doesn't?) . . . ?

Me! I've never used Dropbox. I also don't use a smartphone or an iPod-type device and am uninterested in synching files across devices.

I do use Carbonite, however, for off-premises backup.

[joenunya]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

They're not paying for Dropbox, they're paying for the millions of people who use Dropbox.

Yup. And hasn't Apple spent billions on a facility for their cloud services? By trying to grab a company like Dropbox they also acquire the developer teams which created the service and their collective experience.

I have an odd sense we are seeing a sea change in Apple these days. Are the falling victim to their cash glut? Buying instead of creating? Much as I dislike Apple they have usually created their own stuff in-house. But right now they could buy a number of countries for cash the pave things over putting Apple stores and maybe a few Starbucks every 100 yards. That cash has to be pretty seductive and might move them away from the formula that got them there in the first place. I just think of their patent legal moves as part of this tactic.

I also think Samsung is actually trying to take on Apple. The recent patent suit they filed as an example.(my goof it was HTC) Plus didn't Samsung just get into bed with Microsoft for a Win 8 tablet? I don't think Apple can pshaw that move. It might be an interesting 2012 for Apple.

I bet Apple might bump the offer to Dropbox of for no other reason that the officially new boss can't have small companies bar him at the door the first couple months officially on the job.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by carld

The bigger, and to me more likely, risk is that Apple will buy up Dropbox, incorporate it into iCloud and then kill it off for everyone else.

Precisely. Perfect example of this behavior is B&N purchase of Fictionwise and promptly removing just about all of the Agency 6 books.

[afa]

Originally Posted by boswd

Not really sure what you are talking about? I was responding to this comment

Of course, the risk is that Apple will introduce a similar service as part of iCloud that millions will jump on to because it's by Apple...

What I was saying is if Apple did introduce a direct spec for spec service as part of iCloud but if that service only worked between iDevices then I don't think Dropbox would have much to worry about

Since I was the one who wrote that original comment that started this tête-à-tête, perhaps I should clarify that I was not implying that Apple would introduce an iOS-to-Mac-only service. It would, of course, work with Windows, at the very least. I can, however, see them not bothering with Android, as there wouldn't be much to gain from their point of view.

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Precisely. Perfect example of this behavior is B&N purchase of Fictionwise and promptly removing just about all of the Agency 6 books.

I think the big difference there is that Apple, unlike B&N, has proven itself to be a rather well-run and efficient outfit. I doubt they would do something as stupid as not making their iCloud compatible with Windows.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by afa

I can, however, see them not bothering with Android, as there wouldn't be much to gain from their point of view.

From the point of view of the tablets I would say that you are right, but maybe from the point of view of android phones it would be worth it.

[kartu]

Let's not make it seem as if Apple is doing something unheard of.

Yep.
Apple just "invented" having "let's remove SD card slot and sell N, 2*N GB versions".
Apple just "invented" denying customer access to its own data.
Apple just "invented" having 30% of the subscription by third parties.

Last but not least, Apple invented "rectangular device with rounded corner" design and suing others for "infringing".