Dropbox hits Mailbox , What's next ?

Dropbox is on a rampage , acquiring every little company it can lay it's hands on . Dropbox's latest acquisition is Mailbox , the iOS client for Gmail . Well , if you haven't heard of Mailbox , it is an awesome Gmail client for your iOS devices with powerful features ( Like a reminders app for email ) . Everyone wants to get their little grubby paws on it , which resulted in over half a million users in just a couple of days . 

In a post on Dropbox’s blog, the company said it was looking forward to expanding the reach of Orchestra’s email client:

Today we’re really excited to welcome the Mailbox team to Dropbox.Like many of you, when we discovered Mailbox we fell in love—it was simple, delightful, and beautifully engineered. Many have promised to help us with our overflowing inboxes, but the Mailbox team actually delivered.
After spending time with Gentry, Scott, and the team, it became clear that their calling was the same as ours at Dropbox—to solve life’s hidden problems and re imagine the things we do every day. We all quickly realized that together we could save millions of people a lot of pain.
Dropbox doesn’t replace your folders or your hard drive: it makes them better. The same is true with Mailbox. It doesn’t replace your email: it makes it better. Whether it’s your Dropbox or your Mailbox, we want to find ways to simplify your life.We’re all looking forward to making Mailbox even better and getting it into as many people’s hands as possible. There’s so much to do and we’re excited to get started!

The WSJ reports that Dropbox has been valued at $4 billion and has discussed the possibility of an IPO with investment bankers.

Orchestra, trying to manage significant demand for Mailbox, is using a clever countdown feature for people who download the app, showing their place in line and how many people have signed up after them. The iPhone app’s signature feature is the ability to quickly move messages out of the in-box and set them to reappear later, at a specified time. 

I’m definitely surprised by this acquisition. But I’m pleased Dropbox is at least planning on keeping Mailbox as a separate app.