Mailbox, the much-hyped email app that has been in limited beta since late last year, finally hit Apple's App Store on Thursday, but don't expect to be able to use it on your iPhone just yet.
Rather than let everyone download the app at the same time, the company is taking the unusual step of rolling it out gradually to users on a first-come-first-serve basis. Last month, Mailbox introduced an online reservation system to let users sign up to try the app; starting today, that reservation system is being phased out and the only way to reserve a spot is by downloading the app onto your phone.
After you download the app, you'll see an option to reserve an invite and another option to view your place in line. When it's your turn, the app will send you a push notification to unlock all the features. Until then, the app's only real feature will be showing you a real-time view of the line, including the number of people in front of you and behind you.
The app was created by Orchestra — the startup behind the popular to-do list app of the same name — and has attracted plenty of attention thanks to a set of novel features, including the option to schedule incoming emails to be resent later when you have time to read them. The goal is to help users get their inbox to zero and keep it that way.
The reason for the staggered rollout is that the company is trying to ensure there are no server issues from thousands of people downloading and using the app all at once. Even before the app was released in the App Store, more than 250,000 people had signed off for a reservation to download it. Gentry Underwood, the CEO of Orchestra, told Mashable that the app's line-tracking feature is designed to ensure as much "transparency" in this process as possible while the app rolls out.
The Mailbox team won't say exactly how long users will have to wait to get the full app experience, but suffice it to say that if you are just reserving a spot in line now, it will probably be a little while. On the bright side, the app is currently free and according to Mailbox, the goal is to keep it free forever, though the company may add premium features down the road.
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