Emily Chang - eHub Interviews

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Posted August 28, 2006
eHub Interviews Sapotek

Thanks to Josh Rand and the team at Sapotek for this email interview.

eHub: What is your web application/service about?

Sapotek: Our webtop - Desktoptwo (in English) and Computadora.de (in Spanish) - is a free web-based desktop that mimics the look, feel and functionality of a local computer, all contained within one browser window and fully accessible from any Internet-connected device.  It is about giving people a home on the Internet so that they have the tools, programs and applications they need to function in an increasingly mobile world.  As someone who travels frequently and doesn’t like to be weighed down with extra baggage, let alone a laptop computer, I like knowing that as long as I have an Internet connection (which I do anywhere nowadays), I can also have my desktop.  This is especially true for people who are so heavily dependent on technology that they need it wherever they find themselves.  Desktoptwo allows for the freedom and flexibility that their lifestyles demand.

For other people, however, that type of mobility is born of necessity, as in people who don’t own computers and therefore rely on public or shared terminals.  In this case, Desktoptwo and especially Computadora.de due to its tremendous popularity in Latin America are about bridging the immense technological gap between those who have and those who don’t and supports our deeply-held belief that information technology should be a commodity, not a luxury, and that its many benefits should be enjoyed by - and made available to - everyone, regardless of socioeconomic level, education or location on the global map.

eHub: Why did you start this project?

Sapotek: Actually, for two reasons that complement each other perfectly.  One - because we recognized the amazing impact that the Internet could have throughout the world by bringing people together (it’s free - mostly - and it’s everywhere); and Two - because we saw the way in which the Internet was being transformed from a simple communication medium for the exchange of static images (e-mail, images, etc.) into a platform for programs, applications and other relevant tools.  That combination of the mission and the evolving medium is what lead to the founding of Sapotek and to the development of our first webtop.

eHub: How much time do you devote to its growth?  Do you have a day job?

Sapotek: Plenty! :) We started Sapotek in early 2002 and then officially launched the first version of Computadora.de 8 months later.  Since then, we’ve been adding programs and functionality and we’ve just released the first beta version of Desktoptwo, which is in English and far more advanced.

As for time commitment, I guess you could say that we’ve devoted our lives to Sapotek. I don’t have a “day job”; I have a “life job” since Sapotek consumes most all of my waking hours and a shameful number of night hours as well.

eHub: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

Sapotek: We are very small.  I am the CEO and President and lead Sapotek from the very small New York headquarters (within a shared office space).  I’m actually an attorney and an economist but I’ve always loved computers, technology and all manner of toys and gadgets to which people like me have an almost preternatural attraction.  After graduating from Brown University many moons ago, I went to London to pursue a master’s degree whereupon I met my friend and current business partner, Oscar Mondragón.  Much has happened since that meeting (you can read my bio on the lovely Sapotek website designed by Ideacodes), but suffice it say that our friendship set the “Sapowheels” in motion. 

While I held down a few “day jobs,” to borrow your term, Oscar left London and returned to his native Mexico to start one of the country’s first advanced ISPs.  Eventually, and after having sold his beloved NetSpace to a US conquistador, Oscar pitched the idea of a virtual desktop to me in early 2002 and well… the rest is history.  Oscar, being a veteran “netrepreneur” and the Sapotek Director of Technological Development, oversees all R&D in our Toluca, Mexico office and has assembled the entire tech team, including:

Enrique Chávez (Tmeister) - Chief Flash Developer
Carmen López (Azul) - Chief Interface Designer
Omar Lara - Chief Backend Programmer
Rogelio Alvarado (Roger) - Senior Programmer
Saúl Rodríguez (Lirio) - Senior Programmer
Carlos Vences (Carlos) - Senior Programmer
Claudia Hernández (Nova) - Designer

eHub: What is your design philosophy?

Sapotek: Keep it familiar yet functional!  Having developed a webtop that, as we like to say, “mimics the look, feel and functionality” of a local desktop, we always keep in mind that users will more readily migrate to a solution that is familiar.  A long, protracted learning process is hardly an incentive to try something new, so we strive to create a “look” and “experience” that is so intuitive, anyone who’s ever used a PC can figure it out in no time, without feeling as if he or she is missing something with regard to either features or requisite knowledge.

eHub: What technologies are you currently using?

Sapotek: Flash, XML, LAMP stack

eHub: If your project is live, what are the most requested features from your users/community?

Sapotek: Right now our users seem pretty pleased with the service although we have received requests to add more features, such as an RSS feed, widgets and even video capability.  All of this is already included in our road map so these features, among others, will soon appear on the desktop.

eHub: Does your user base reside in a primary geographic location or is it distributed?

Sapotek: Since Computadora.de has been around the longest, it has a large, distributed user base of over 110,000 subscribers.  Of these users, approximately 40% are from Mexico, 20% are from Peru and then approximately 7%-8% from each of Argentina and Spain.  The rest of the Computadora.de users come from the US, Colombia, Chile and other nations with large Spanish-speaking populations.

Desktoptwo, which is still in early beta and was only released 2 weeks ago (on August 1, 2006) has already generated a lot of user traffic based solely on word-of-mouth.  There are already more than 10,000 subscribers, the majority of whom come from the US, but also many from Germany, China, the UK, Japan and Israel.  It’s still early, but we anticipate having over 100,000 users by the end of the year.

eHub: Where do you see the project heading in the next 6 months?  The next 2 years?

Sapotek: Within the next 6 months, we expect the user base to continue to grow throughout the world.  In addition, we plan to roll out the Enterprise Version of each of Desktoptwo and Computadora.de within the next 3 months.

As for the desktop itself, we will continue to add new features and increase functionality and eventually plan to turn Desktoptwo into a complete platform for developers to create remote applications easily and with no regard to technology preferences on the side of the developer.

As for 2 years from now, we see an upward trajectory for Sapotek and for the Internet in general but, given the way both we and the industry are heating up, we envision Desktoptwo as the foundation stone for the network OS of the future… the one that will allow people to use any number of applications and store endless amounts of information every where, any time and with any device.

eHub: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

Sapotek: Time.  I could also say money because we’ve been bootstrapping for longer than I care to admit, but really it comes down to time, which relates to money as well.  What I mean by that is that for too long we were “ahead of our time” so no one wanted any part of us (investors among them) because they couldn’t see the value of a web-based desktop.  Now, however, as more and more people embrace the Internet as a platform and migrate to On Demand solutions (well beyond traditional client-server models), people seem to be catching on (and signing up, which is great for us), so we are very excited for the future.

Still, it’s a unique moment for Sapotek and for the public at large in terms of how everyone views web-based technologies.  While there are thousands of people around the world who thank us everyday (we get lots of e-mail) for our products and rely on them quite heavily, if not exclusively, there are other people who have theoretical thresholds to overcome with regard to virtual or remote applications, as in “my computer is ‘here’ but it’s not really ‘here.” Once they start using web-based solutions, however, and Desktoptwo is but one of many good ones, they quickly come around.  So in that sense the greatest challenge is time… but the future looks bright. 

eHub: What is the one thing you need to get to the next phase of the project?

Sapotek: Honestly… money.  We’ve self-funded Sapotek from the beginning and we’ve never had nearly as many pennies as we would like.  Nevertheless, we’ve been able to achieve so much with so little.  We’re tremendously proud of our achievements, not to mention extremely grateful for the many thousands of users who rely on our solutions every day.  .

eHub: Do you have a business model?  If so, what is it?

Sapotek: Of course!  While we plan to offer Desktoptwo free to individuals, we also plan to roll out the Enterprise Version soon.  This will be available for a subscription (S-a-a-S) through a network of ISPs, local integrators and hosted solutions providers so that businesses, schools and other organizations can provide mobile desktops while significantly lowering their TCO.

eHub: If you’re able to disclose this information, how much traffic or usage do you see on an average day?

Sapotek: Since launching the beta of Desktoptwo on August 1, 2006, we’ve seen our user base grow from 0 to 10,000 so, if my math is correct (it’s August 14) that’s an average of nearly 800 new users a day.

eHub: What is the one thing you’re most proud of about the project?

Sapotek: So much actually that it’s hard to focus on just one achievement.  We’re certainly proud of our efficiency, as I mentioned previously, and we’re also extremely proud of our technology (we really love what we’ve created), but if I had to focus on one thing, it would be the response we get from our users.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that our users are remarkably active and very loyal.  They feel a real sense of ownership over their desktops and they should.  Our goal is to be able to give everyone a desktop regardless of socioeconomic level and everyday that goal becomes more of a reality.  In the end, we’ve developed the product, but it’s theirs; not ours.

eHub: How would you describe the shift that’s occurring with the web right now to future generations?

Sapotek: To put it in historical context, I’d say it’s somewhat akin to how my grandmother used to talk about the first time she watched television, with the great difference being the speed with which change is occurring.  TV technology has certainly advanced from its appearance at the 1939 World’s Fair (my grandmother once reflected on the hype of that event), but its evolution has occurred over 67 years and, aside from the recent onset of flat screens, we’ve been viewing a “box” all these years.

With the Internet, I can recall the first time I heard the phrases “Internet” and “world wide web” uttered, or sent an e-mail or viewed a website… and in just over a decade we’re already hosting applications, services, voice protocols, video feeds… everything, it seems.  In just a few short years, the Internet has gone from its infancy into early adulthood at light speed and we’re just beginning to unlock its potential.  I’m sure I’ll be proud to tell my grandkids that I was there when it all started and even helped further its development by expanding its functionality.  Of course, they’ll no doubt tune me out and continue playing with their holographic friends from around the world… courtesy of the Internet :)

eHub: What site(s) do you visit everyday other than your own?

Sapotek: I’m all over the place, actually.  I always take a quick glance at Gigaom (Om is a great guy and very cheeky), CNET, Techcrunch and, of course, eHub just to see what else is out there (there’s a LOT of cool stuff!).  And, time permitting (and there isn’t much of that, unfortunately), I’ll also look at online news sites - NYTimes, BBC, Google News, etc. - just to stay informed.  It’s too damn easy to get lost in “techworld” and I like people too much to become an automaton.  I also always check out National Geographic’s site, especially the “photo of the day"… great fodder for daydreams.

eHub: How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Sapotek: Too few.  I’d love to get 8, but it’s usually closer to 4 or 5.  My mind is often spinning even well after my head hits the pillow.  Of course, sometimes a great notion, but rarely at those hours.

Thanks to Josh Rand and the team at Sapotek for this email interview.

Disclosure: Sapotek is a client of mine and Ideacodes.

Visit Desktoptwo
Originally added to eHub on Aug 07, 06

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eHub Interviews is a series with the creators of Web 2.0 applications and services by Emily Chang, author of eHub, designer, and co-founder and principal of Ideacodes, a strategic web consultancy in San Francisco that she co-founded with Max Kiesler.

Also see eHub Interviews in Japanese at CNET Japan