Mega update: Dotcom's service now accepts Bitcoin, will expand into email, chat, voice, video, and mobile
Kim Dotcom knows how to stir up a storm on Twitter. On Saturday, he announced Bitcoin support for his cloud storage service and also sent out a slew of tweets suggesting Mega …
Context & Ripple Effects
Mega’s roadmap had already been framed as broader than file hosting: Dotcom previewed the Megabox service in 2012 and offered developers early API access for the Megaupload reboot. The new payment option and proposed communications features turn that ambition into a more explicit service-suite strategy.
The announcement travelled across several technology outlets on the same date, giving Mega’s Bitcoin acceptance and expansion plans attention beyond its existing user base.
First-order effects
- Mega users paying for cloud storage gain Bitcoin as a payment option, while Mega’s stated roadmap expands from storage into email, chat, voice, video and mobile services.
- Developers given early API access face a broader prospective Mega product surface than a storage-only service.
Second-order effects
- Cloud-storage rivals must contend with Mega presenting payments and communications as part of one service relationship, rather than competing only on file storage.
- Bitcoin holders gain a named cloud-service use case, tying payment adoption to a recurring online-service purchase rather than a one-off transaction.
Third-order effects
- If Mega delivers the announced services, the company’s strategy points toward bundled cloud platforms in which storage is the entry point for communications and mobile use.
- The combination of API access and a widening service roadmap favors ecosystems built around a platform’s integrations as well as its consumer-facing features.
The trend: Cloud-storage providers are seeking to become broader user platforms, combining payments, developer access and communications around a single account.