A micro bubble bursting in the productivity arena?

Posted by Donovan
Aug 18, 2015 at 07:10 PM

Paul Korm wrote:
Interesting week.
> >IQTell calls it quits.
>http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/5983/0/iqtell-shutting-down
> >Wuala calls it quits .
>http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/5981/0/wuala-shutting-down
> >Workflowy gives the premium product away.
>http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/5982/0/workflowy-pro-for-1-year-free
> >More?
> >These aren’t consolidations. The first two are exits. The last is
>maybe the classic last gasp?
> >Like many, I’ve wondered at just how much “productivity” the market can
>bear. It’s a relatively easy space to enter (lots of APIs); difficult
>to differentiate; and thus difficult to sustain when the growth curve of
>new accounts flattens and dives. And, maybe the market is tiring of
>fees-for-everything?

I’ve wondered much the same thing. Microsoft’s decision to practically giveaway Office 365 (the free years and trials are ending shortly) has apparently been a huge success. As for our CRIMPing desires, many of us are still looking and comparing while a great many more have grabbed OneNote and run with it. They had a hidden gem that they never promoted, began to *give* away and the bundle giveaways showed many that OneNote is one of Microsoft’s truly great products. It’s taken a hit on Evernote and I can imagine it has hurt others.

The Wuala thing appears to be a business decision by Lacie to step away from the storage space and concentrate on their core business.