Posted At: March 20, 2013 2:45 P.M.
by Lindsey Green
Like most people my age, I try to stay up to date with the latest app technology. My iPhone 5 is frequently used for Snapchat, Vine and GroupMe along with more “traditional” forms of social media like Facebook and Twitter. When I heard about Mailbox, I downloaded it right away.
As soon as it finished downloading, I quickly opened the application. The fun stopped there. I was greeted with a screen that asked if I wanted to “reserve a Mailbox.” Confused, I clicked yes and the next screen flashed with a countdown: 493,066 people in front of me on my way to a whole new inbox. While my natural instinct was to delete the app and move on with my life, something stopped me. I had to know what the wait was all about.
While this app is great for busy public relations professionals, the exclusivity of the app creates anticipation, a great public relations tactic in itself. The excitement of waiting for my turn to get my very own Mailbox is enough to get me to tell my friends and classmates about it. This word of mouth publicity is what is getting so many people to reserve their spot in line.
Since I’ve not been able to use the app yet (only 489,998 people to go), all I know about Mailbox is that it is trendy. From my understanding, its main purpose is to more efficiently organize Gmail accounts on iPhones. There are four main gestures: a fast swipe to the right to archive an email, a fast swipe to the left to “snooze” a message, a longer swipe to the right to delete and a longer swipe to the left to file emails using folders. You can sync multiple accounts and even get pop-up notifications for the emails that you put in the snooze section.
This week, the file-sharing service Dropbox bought Mailbox in an attempt to expand its services. This collaboration will help Mailbox reach new, larger audiences and eventually Dropbox will use it to improve Dropbox’s features.
The buzz around Mailbox is sure to draw attention, but the bigger question is will the wait be worth it? Have you used Mailbox? Does it live up to the hype? For a closer look at this app, check out this step-by-step introduction on YouTube.
