What about FileCoin ?? It seems to be a direct competitor to SIA and Storj. Does anyone know the difference ?
Also MaidSafe Coin seem to have the same purpose than Sia. What do you think about it ?
I gave up mining SIA a while back (and switched to a non storage based coin) simply because, I don't see a future for it. I can't see any large company wanting to go through the hassle (and risks) of exchanging cash for SIA then using it to buy storage. Currency fluctuations can have big effects on profitability (Lots of UK businesses after Brexit have seen profits squeezed, or even wiped out after GBP took a dive) Why would a large company already at risk of currency fluctuations increase that risk by also getting involved with crypto markets, and with something as important / essential as storage?
With high speed networks, falling SSD prices (and increasing capacities) along with super reliable HDD's does SIA really have a large scale customer out there? Perhaps content creators could find a use for SIA as an alternative back up space - but the likes of a large multinational with huge storage requirements would probably already have their own facilities in place. Honestly, I don't see enough small scale users to make up the difference.
So, that's why I got out - I don't think the demand will ever match the supply. I think it's important to have faith in any project you're investing in (whether it's buying coins or using resources to mine them, it all counts as an investment!) - I have a great deal of respect for all those who do believe that there's a future for SIA - perhaps you can see something I can't... (or maybe you are just smarter than me!) - however, for me - I think there are better options out there.
I came to a similar conclusion:
SJCX and SC are both operational, but there is little to no demand for the services. I recently (the past couple days) looked into a few ways to profitably utilize my extra hard drive space. The amount of demand for SJCX and SC storage space left me quite uninterested in these projects. Maybe demand will pick up and slowly grow over time, but I think it may be years (closer to 5 to 10 years) before they gain traction- if they do at all. So, I have taken them out of my portfolio, as I think they will stay at or under their current valuations for some time. The demand just isn't there for these services.
Good point about token value fluctuation being a hassle and risk. This can potentially be an issue with all utility tokens. One way around this though is if Atomic Swaps (or similar Shapeshift-like service) are implemented on the utility token, and then they are only purchased and used immediately... practically negating fluctuation risk/hassle. A working "stable coin" with Atomic Swaps is necessary though... something like bitUSD, Nubits, or Tether.