Teams today are more global and connected than ever. As people get used to their operating system providing this automatically, one must ask the serious question as to why they'd choose an external provider.Over the last decade, mobile and cloud technology have completely transformed the way we work. In essence, the entire consumer (and in some cases prosumer) storage and collaboration product suite of Dropbox has been automatically added to almost every Mac and iOS device. Related: Steve Jobs Shares the Secrets to Successful Team Leadership in This Throwback Video Apple's current workflow to share a link isn't quite as elegant (select a file, share, add people, copy link, versus Dropbox's one-click sharing) - but it doesn't take much to change that. Dropbox requires an install and a log-in, extra steps for a user to deal with on the way to simply sharing a file. Though this may not kill Dropbox, Apple controls two dominant operating systems where it doesn't simply provide, but automatically installs a powerful consumer competitor. That isn't just iCloud Drive, but it's far from a coincidence that Apple's services revenue, which include iCloud Drive, is outpacing Mac revenue. Dropbox itself says that the free version available to individual users 'serves as a major funnel for conversions to paid subscription plans.' Only 30 percent of its users are using Dropbox as part of a business plan, too.Īll the while, Apple's services revenue is growing. This is, of course, purely based on comparing Apple and Dropbox's individual plans. And Apple's self-service product is cheaper than Dropbox too - 50 GB for $0.99, 200 GB for $2.99 and 2 TB for $9.99 - versus Dropbox's $9.99 1 TB plan. That's better than Dropbox's free 2 GB plan.

Notes, Pages, Keynote and Numbers documents are stored on iCloud automatically, and every single user gets 5 GB for free. Users automatically sync and save to their mobile and desktop devices. When the new Mac OS High Sierra launched last year, deep within the features list was a subtle yet powerful echo of Jobs' murderous intent toward Dropbox: 'share with anyone right from iCloud Drive.' ICloud Drive, as it stands, now echoes the core functionality of the self-serve Dropbox product.

Drop box founder