Web-based productivity apps may be where software is going, but the budding market will also see its share of casualties. One early casualty could be ThinkFree, which looks to be in turmoil.
The company’s Web-based versions of Office never really gained much traction—they trail well behind Google Docs, Zoho, and others. Founder and CEO TJ Kang is on the outs with Haansoft, the Korean software company he sold a majority stake to in 2003. ThinkFree’s chief marketer Jonathan Crow just left (Update: the company took this down, see cached version), explaining that ThinkFree and collaborative online tools are “evolving to the next stage” and that Korean parent company Haansoft:
. . . is now taking a more active role in the strategic and tactical activities of ThinkFree. They are now deep into what this shift means for our development roadmap as we head into 2008.
Is that marketing speak for, “There is no money in online productivity apps and Haansoft is pulling the plug”? Not necessarily. The Website is still up and running, and all subscribers were upgraded to premier accounts about a week ago.
It sounds more like the company’s Korean masters have put ThinkFree in a holding pattern until they figure things out. One tipster tells us that ThinkFree has shut down its San Jose, California headquarters. Calls to that office just keep going to voicemail. But a spokeperson assures us that there are still people there.
We won’t put ThinkFree in the deadpool quite yet, but it is on death watch.
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Yeaaay, I’m first
Before opening business it’s always important to write business layout. I see this as another business failure of people “get rich over night” scheme.
ThinkFree:
DONT thinkFree __-_ thinkBusiness
This reminds me of NetZero, their business started out free…but soon realized that they had to charge in order to stay afloat. The reason why Google Docs works is that, its not their income source…its rather a way to evolve as a company. An advertisement for their advertisement company.
Too bad. Thinkfree is IMHO the best web based office replacement. Especially because they have released some offline software as well…
Google Docs might be useful for some people, but I am one of the maybe 1% who just hates Google Docs. Google Docs looks like Microsoft’s Office in 1866. It might be cool for collaboration but that’s all. The non existing page view makes it look so terrible lame. And the average user doesn’t really need collaboration.. and companies… I mean there are server solutions. Cheap ones.
Sucks. ThinkFree has a great product. Better than the flimsy ajaxy crap out there.
Yahoo! you should buy them
A company offering something Free and Good doesn’t last any more??? what happened to the good old days of the Internet?
This isn’t good news as far as I’m concerned. Thinkfree has the best “Office-alike” interface, is a breeze to use, and offers online/offline editing. I really appreciate that the presentation “Notes” pane is on view in a 3-pane view - neither Google or OpenOffice’s does - which is what you’d expect if used to MS Office.
Thinkfree received remarkably little press though and is a bit pricey, given there are free office apps out there. I’d still reckon that if Thinkfree could better target users who want an office package that looks exactly like the one at work, but at a fraction of the price, they could get the mass take up they deserve. Team up with Tesco?
The headline of this article is accurate – but then takes a wrong turn. The same can be said for any startup business that is maturing and determining how best to spend marketing and sales dollars across the globe. The speculation that we are shutting down the company is off base. In fact, we’re currently in the process of realigning the entire organization to court partners and corporate customers in the US and other markets better. The ThinkFree technology and engineering effort, which has been based in Korea since we started, is also going strong. We have more than ½ a million subscribers – not counting corporate users or users who joined ThinkFree as a result of portal deals with companies like NHN, BigPond, or SourceNext.
ThinkFree jumpstarted the wave of awareness and adoption of alternative office productivity tools, and we are continuing to drive innovation in this space with offline capabilities and offerings targeted for individual, SMB and corporate users.
From what I can gauge, Thinkfree does not want to be in the space of an online office tool that competes with MSFT or GOOG. They are after a infrastructure deal and would happily let others co-brand their product. Bigpond is a prime example of that.
I personally don’t like ThinkFree. Reasons? (1) It’s too much like Microsoft Office and (2) It requires JVM to work.
I use Microsoft Office when the job requires it and use lightweight Google Docs for the rest.
Out of all the web based productivity solutions ThinkFree is the only one which looks and feels like a real application.
@9.. how many of your 1/2 million are month-by-month paying customers vs one or two time tire kickers?
Forget about online office suites.. no giants will buy anything like that.
On the other hand, what’s happening to omnidrive anybody knows? http://www.omnidrive.com hasn’t been accessible for 4 full days already since the 8th morning…
I would be sad if they closed, one of the first online apps I ever used and I like it …but google docs is just to damn convenient.
I do like their interface though, and a larger player in the market would be smart to snatch them up and integrate them into their current online suite the way Google did with their acquisitions.
Guess what!
They have deleted the post mentioned here: http://blog.thinkfree.com/2008.....g-forward/
you mean DEATH ROW
On the subject of productivity apps nearing the deadpool, any news on Omnidrive?
Great name for a site but oy, poor application — Does anyone have any idea how much money was put into this? I trended the site and geez did it pick up steam for a while and it really did show itself off — Something must’ve just happened — Why aren’t these companies putting ads up next to the content being produced by their users like what Google does with Google Docs? Or what Google does with Gmail?
ThinkFree has 3 DMOZ listings and 2 Yahoo! directory listings — Pretty strong PR and ability to build up but I think the interface may just be the lacking tipping point — The big dogs are ruling the roost on this one
Think Free is by far the best online docs, spreadsheet and presentation software out there. Google Docs is frustrating because it can only do basic things and does not bridge the gap. Think Free can totally replace MS Office. Yahoo buying them up would be a great idea.
Productivity apps are great but they need a supporting framework
http://www.leveragingideas.com
Nobody will ever buy online office suites, forget it.
Do your research. I certain you’ll discover ThinkFree has significantly _more_ adoption than all others in this space, other than Google. Also, ThinkFree has a fantastic product. It’s better, imo, than any other in this space because it’s a equiped for enterprise in a way that other web-based office alternatives that are implemented entirely in Javascript are not.
Based on Java?
Pure joke.
Exact look & feel copy off Microsoft’s originals?
No, thank you.
Buzzword is the best online Office replacement by far!
Anything is better than anything-Java-based.
their logo reminds me of the nuva ring
http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp
There are waay too many of these services. Most of them are doomed to bite the dust.
http://www.webepags.com
@Sohail Abid : The Google cache is a wonderful thing! You can find the deleted post there.
Thanks, Scott. Here is a link to the cached version. And here is the blog post in full:
As I write this, hanging like an apostrophe between 2007 and 2008, I started thinking about the crazy chaotic movie Meet the Robinsons that came out earlier last year. A character whose early life was punctuated by a series of missteps and failures grows up to be a fabulous inventor and a zealous proponent of the notion “Keep Moving Forward.” This mantra was taken from the vision of Walt Disney, whose studio produced the film.
ThinkFree itself is a real-life example of the power of persistence. We have been at the forefront of a vibrant movement that has turned the traditional concept of productivity on its head. ThinkFree has most certainly been through its ups and downs. It’s an incredibly competitive area now, we’ve just begun to head toward “mainstream” status, and there is lot of work left to be done.
I’ve had a front row seat working with TJ, our development and sales teams and our partners to help promote the vision and impact that collaborative, web-based work tools can have. It’s been both incredibly fun at times - especially interacting with the ThinkFree community - and occasionally frustrating at others, as all innovations are as they seek to find their proper place in the world. I am extremely proud of the work we have done here.
What’s clear is that ThinkFree as a company and online collaboration tools as a market category are evolving to the next stage. Big-name brands are calling us, wanting demos and starting pilots. Heavyweights like IBM are stepping into the space.
Our parent company, Haansoft, is now taking a more active role in the strategic and tactical activities of ThinkFree. They are now deep into what this shift means for our development roadmap as we head into 2008. ThinkFree is no longer a startup, and our marketing program, which I’ve led for the past 2+ years, is also evolving.
This pending change has led me to make one of my own. To keep moving forward in my own own life, I am leaving ThinkFree effective immediately to look for other opportunitites to create something new and meaningful. My ThinkFree experience has left me with an addiction to the Web 2.0 world and I hope to be neck deep back in that world in early 2008. (I’ll post an update on my personal blog at http://jcrow.wordpress.com when I have news. I’ll also keep the Web 2.0, social networking conversation going there.)
Thank you to everyone in the community who has been so supportive to ThinkFree and to me personally. I’ve met some incredibly talented (and a few insane - you know who you are) people whose passion to change how we work is simply amazing. I will be fortunate if I can find myself in the same kind of company in my next role.
Best wishes to all of you for a healthy and prosperous new year.