Cloud Storage services have all of a sudden got their well deserved spotlight after the release of the iCloud. Seriously, there can be no easier mode of transport for files. Services like Dropbox allow you to upload your files to a personal account in the cloud ( the web) so that you can gain access anytime anywhere. Now recently there has been a lot of activity within Dropbox. They have teamed up with Sony Ericsson and then with HTC, then it showcased its support to companies or groups by offering storage space upto 1 TB.
Now Dropbox is back with its development plans.The GigaOm RoadMap conference sure had Drew Houston,CEO of Dropbox spill the beans on some key insights about his company’s product roadmap.The one that caught our attention is his longing desire to change the game, to get past the metaphor of a file folder as Dropbox’s sole organizing principle.
According to the CEO of Dropbox, Houston, the present dropbox sync i.e file folder sync is just “Chapter 1″ for the company, “We think it’s just the first step …[In the beginning of Dropbox] we didn’t want to call Dropbox ‘back up’ or even use word like ‘sync’ … [Because] it’s not storage as much as it is an experience.” were the exact words he added.
He shared with us the voyage his company has taken to finding a path to go beyond files and folders, “‘What’s the point of Dropbox if it’s just a folder? …,’” he said, “We’re really building a lot of new ways to manage and view your important stuff.”
When asked if these new management and organizing principles has something to with time and space,he leaves us puzzled with “When you think about your [files] you can break it down into those categories, and then not only can you have the photo itself but an index of all the data associated with photo e.g. not only where this picture was taken but what were all the other pictures taken within a ten mile radius.” Or a reference to the Facebook friend tagged in that very photo.And music is a whole new set of constructs. Etc, etc.
While it’s not clear exactly what this new management system will look like once/if it sees the light of day, Houston certainly has the budget and usership leeway to experiment. Probably all this research will allow Dropbox and moreover the user experience to enter a much more interactive product from Dropbox.
