I think the biggest issue may be the fundamental fact that Mailpile is software that has to run on a computer somewhere - people are getting so accustomed to just getting service for free on the web, that many will balk at having to install an app locally. Folks who value their privacy enough will, but not everyone does.
This will be a problem even assuming we solve the two hard problems and major benefits provided by cloudy solutions: backups and "always on, always available" remote access.
I think the biggest issue may be the fundamental fact that Mailpile is software that has to run on a computer somewhere - people are getting so accustomed to just getting service for free on the web, that many will balk at having to install an app locally. Folks who value their privacy enough will, but not everyone does.
This will be a problem even assuming we solve the two hard problems and major benefits provided by cloudy solutions: backups and "always on, always available" remote access.