Comments on: Is the iPhone Platform Destined to Disrupt the Packaged Software Industry?

By: Mike at Strategy Games

Mike at Strategy Games — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:23:35 +0000

Very interesting article and lots of great comments. I agree, the mac store is still very young, i just guess that we’ll have to wait to see how thing goes! Great discussion, can’t wait to see what mac has next for us to play with!

By: McGuire’s Law » Blog Archive » Observations: Applications - May 5, 2009

Tue, 05 May 2009 22:25:30 +0000

[...] Is the iPhone Platform Destined to Disrupt the Packaged Software Industry? [...]

By: Abbi Vakil

Abbi Vakil — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:20:56 +0000

@AdamC FYI, the AppStore is not even 1 year old

@Mark I wonder if apps would be less fleeting if Apple had a limit greater than 144 on the number you can keep on the iPhone at any 1 time. 10% of that you can never erase (the Apple apps), I’m betting another 10% is saved for social networking, AIM, Skype & such. Atleast for me, I need to keep moving through the apps as I try new ones (I’ve got 320 in iTunes right now). I’m hoping Apple brings better app management in the next version of iTunes.

Great post- keep up the good work!

Abbi

By: Jesse

Jesse — Sun, 03 May 2009 07:25:26 +0000

@AdamC, totally agreed. The App Store is in its infancy (it actually launched less than a year ago, not 2 years old). So it does take time to build a massive industry around it, but surprisingly, Apple’s done it faster than anyone could imagine. What will they do in another year or two? There’s 37+ million user base (iPhones and iPod Touches already) in less than two years. What will the user base look like in a few more years?

By: “When the marketplace only rewards app builders that feed short attention spans…” « ecpm blog

Sun, 03 May 2009 01:42:04 +0000

[...] Is the iPhone Platform Destined to Disrupt the Packaged Software Industry?. [...]

By: John Dingler

John Dingler — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:43:03 +0000

The Nordstroms in my region is closing its doors but McDonald’s is going strong.

By: AdamC

AdamC — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:59:32 +0000

My take on this is how many apps, those for the desktop, did anyone of you downloaded and used constantly. Let’s get real, there are apps we use everyday and there are apps we stop or forgot because they are of little use, we downloaded them because we thought they are useful.

The AppsStore is 2 years old and how many years did those great apps for the desktop take to grow their developers into mighty companies. It takes time and the iPhone platform is in it nascent age

Let’s see what happen in 5 years times when the iPhone becomes a matured platform.

Mark, can you give us the names of the apps that you had developed?

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:38:37 +0000

Neither. I was just asking, I’m observing that strange iPhone phenomenon from the sidelines and it’s difficult to make sense of it all.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Sat, 02 May 2009 03:13:13 +0000

Yes.

We are very nearly out of cash because Apple can’t approve an application for several months. We have created more and are submitting them, but to no avail. Nothing from the lord of the terroir! I really hope another vendor comes along and creates the necessary infrastructure and user engagement. Apple is not going to change. Ask their music distributors.

Our product is a totally custom templated Kyte or Mobile Roadie like model which allows for embedding. We are creating album experiences for labels. Tell me that this is wrong or undesirable. Perhaps Apple wants to get into that business next.

By: Mark Sigal

Mark Sigal — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:27:16 +0000

@ Matt, thanks for the note. Your experiences seem to dovetail (in different ways) Vipin and JPs comments.

@ JP, to be clear, when you say DEVELOPER, do I write code, no. That said, I am directly involved with two companies that have products targeted at iPhone (one is native app, other has optimized web app), and am incubating a third. And of course, I know a bunch of iPhone developers as well so I soundboard my experience against theirs. Finally, of the eight startups that I have done, four of them have been platform companies, and I (read: the team that I was part of) have built a ton of shipping products. That said, your opinion/experience is your own. We disagree on the integral-ness of developer’s embrace of a good platform, although you are certainly right that a golden platform with no users won’t attract developers.

@ Adam, you are right in parsing the focus of the report but if you cross-compare the data in the report with Pinch Media analytics data in the slide show at the bottom of that post (see slides 12, 13, 15), it becomes clear that while paid has a bit more “legs,” it’s still pretty closely correlated with the drop off on free apps. Is your experience materially different as a user? If applicable, as a developer?

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:06:44 +0000

Huh guys, the report is about free apps. From the linked WSJ blog: “Greystripe, an ad network for mobile applications and games, has a new report showing how consumers are using free iPhone applications. Among the interesting findings: People use free apps an average of 20 times before getting bored and looking for something else.”

Are the findings applicable to any iPhone app? I have a hard time believing that a paid app is used a mere 20 times.

By: juan

juan — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:57:29 +0000

Even we should admit the incredible success of the brand apple and the apple store model, I do not believe “mobility” based on device applications will be the succesful in the mid-long term.
Mobility capabilities may not be depending on owning high tier devices, mobile services must be based on common features, “the entry doors to the services should be common” and “be should be present even in mid-low tier devices” as a way to boost mobile services to their maximun potential.
We should learn from internet….after a decade of increasing HW complexity, storage, etc…now it seems a 9-10″ inches netbook with 32 MB of SSD, 1 MB RAM and the browser in enough to run the 95% of use cases needed via browser.

By: JP

JP — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:25:22 +0000

Mark:

Are you actually a iPhone developer? I’ve had your blog in my feed for quite some time, and after reading your blog postings relating to that of the iPhone I don’t recall any mention of you developing for them. Forgive me if that’s wrong. I mean that sincerely.

Your assertion that the company who wins the hearts & minds of the developer win the game is WRONG. It’s the company who wins the hearts & minds of the consumer who wins the game. The developers will follow. I am an iPhone developer. Dealing with Apple is a pain. The waiting (without any status update) for your app to be approved is annoying. Their iTunes connect interface makes you think they spent all of their R&D on their consumer products and forgot about their developers. Apple treats its developers like crap. However, Apple has developed a superior product for the consumer. They make it extremely easy for developers to get paid. They have a large install base. That’s what matters, and that’s what will cause many developers to put up with Apple.

Will Apple win the platform game? That remains to be seen.

-JP

By: Vipin

Vipin — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:36:40 +0000

>>History suggests that, relative to their disposable app counterparts, apps that aim to be transformational will require both more R&D and marketing dollars.

Couldn’t agree more. We have launched an application yesterday (although for S60 but comment is valid for iPhone as well) and we know how much time and effort we have put in to this app. But we no regret for time and effort we put in and we are confident that this may be a game changing app. For the first time a caller tune service provided by service provider on monthly price basis till yesterday is now can be enjoyed with a software application. Check it on http://www.ritsoft.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27

Or drop me an email (vipin.kumar@ritsoft.com) for license if you intend to review it for full features. Note that it has integrated answering machine for voice mail (another service provided by operator) and call blocker.

By: Mark Sigal

Mark Sigal — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:30:41 +0000

@Michael, you couldn’t be more right and wrong at the same time. Yes, iPhone is absolutely a game changer. I have written no less than 30 articles analyzing the platform so you are preaching to the choir.

At the same time, platform plays are made by developers. He who wins the hearts and minds of developers wins the platform game, plain and simple.

Apple is obviously doing incredibly well in that regard. If interested, check out my analysis of the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 release:

ANALYSIS – iPhone 3.0 Developer Preview: Block the Kick Strategy
(http://bit.ly/ANdMz)

My point, though, is that half the developer story is enabling 1-5 person shops to launch credible apps that make for a nice “lifestyle business.” The other half, though, which Microsoft did very well with in their day, is creating the right type of structure/environment for large companies to mushroom out of this same soil.

It remains to be seen what Apple’s goals are there, but the net effect (so far) is there for all to see, which is the point of my post.

Re your coattails talk, it is wrong perspective (IMHO) for the simple reason that a successful platform is a by-product of enlightened self-interest between the creator of the platform and its developer base. No developers and no 1B downloads. No developers and no 35K apps for the platform.

That’s the battle that RIM, Google (with Android) and Palm (with Pre) all must confront and overcome, which is a by-product of Apple offering superior goodness to developers (tools to create apps, built-in distribution path, 100% reach, large installed base, relatively friction-free monetize-ation).

But it’s not like the developers are showing up at a party they are uninvited too, eating the host’s food and drinking their booze. It’s very much a pot luck deal!

Cheers,

Mark

By: michael casp

michael casp — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:02:28 +0000

Step back and see the forest, my friend. Apple is the “game changer,” and AppStore developers are just riding the coattails, for the most part.

Then again, Hulu is allegedly in the process of developing an app which could change TV/Entertainment profoundly, and Google already has its Maps and YouTube integrated into the OS. Facebook’s app allows instant image upload.

So the iPhone is unlikely to launch massive enterprises, but it is certainly a powerful platform for already established companies.

What I really want to see though is video recording and YouTube uploading in the iPhone. That would be pretty sweet.