I wholeheartedly agree on points 2 and 3 - In fact, I've known scientists that were loathe to send BLAST jobs out to external servers.
Another point is that I've yet to see any core facilities that are running idle. Our core facility mass spec guys are running 24/7, and that's not even taking into account the time they lose to the instrument screwing up. In fact, it'll be hard to see some of the high end equipment running under heavier load – it's all just too fragile.
I emailed my dad (biosci professor) for his opinion on this company, but from what I know of his work history and past collaborations, points 2 and 3 are likely road blocks to using this webapp. Trust is definitely a huge deal as I know he flies in specialized technicians he trusts over more "local" and likely "cheaper" technicians. Not saying the local technicians aren't trustworthy or aren't as skilled, but no matter the costs, trust founded on years of collaboration is irreplaceable.
That said, I'm guessing this kind of service may be more appealing to fresh PhDs.
Another point is that I've yet to see any core facilities that are running idle. Our core facility mass spec guys are running 24/7, and that's not even taking into account the time they lose to the instrument screwing up. In fact, it'll be hard to see some of the high end equipment running under heavier load – it's all just too fragile.