This past spring, the team at Path realized it was time for a change. The San Francisco-based startup had debuted its flagship photo sharing app (accompanied with a serious amount of media buzz and some mixed reviews) in November 2010, and had spent the first several months post-launch working to perfect the original product.
“Six months ago we stopped. We just said, ‘Okay, what are people really using Path to do?’” Path co-founder and CEO Dave Morin said in an interview this week. The company surveyed Path users and found that many were using the app to remember moments in their daily lives — it wasn’t just about sharing photos, it was about cataloging personal memories for themselves. “Ultimately we realized that we had to completely re-imagine Path.”
Path 2, the new version of Path that is launching Tuesday for both iPhone and Android, is what’s emerged from that redesign effort. But to think of this as the 2.0 version of Path would be a big mistake: Path 2 is a dramatically different product than the app the company launched one year ago.
A diary for a mobile and social world
Path 2 aims to be a “smart journal” that catalogs all the big and small moments of your daily life. Along with your photos and videos, the new app has features that let you keep track of your thoughts, the music you’re listening to, where you are, who you’re with, and even when you wake and when you sleep. You can choose to keep each update entirely to yourself, share it with your Path contacts (limited to 150 based on Dunbar’s number), or share it publicly via Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare (Tumblr support is on the way.)
Path 2 screenshot (click to enlarge)
Morin took me through an in-depth demo of Path 2, and for me it had the perfect combination that I look for in the increasingly crowded world of mobile apps: It was both beautiful and actually useful. Lots of people — myself included — maintain personal blogs or use social media sites partly for the same reason that they would maintain a diary: To personally remember what they’ve done. Every New Years’, I vow that I will be better about tracking the little things that make up my days by keeping a journal, but I typically start slacking off on it a couple months in. With Path 2, it could be a lot easier to keep my resolution: It’s on my mobile phone which makes it easy, and the social options make it more fun.
More complexity, more competition
With this redesign, Path is going more squarely into competition with services such as Evernote and even Facebook, the platform on which it was conceived as a much simpler photo-sharing app one year ago. When asked about this, Morin stressed that Path is different from Facebook on several counts: “We’re private by default and always will be, while Facebook is often public by defualt. We’re a tech company, Facebook is a media company. We’re a freemium business, and Facebook is advertising driven.” He was more accepting of an Evernote comparison, but pointed out that many people use Evernote primarily to keep track of their business lives. “What Evernote does for work, we do for life.”
Path 2 music post (click to enlarge)
This move also brings up questions for Path that weren’t there when it was a simple photo sharing app. When you position your service to be something as personal as a diary, users have the right to be a bit more demanding than they would with a more standard social app. For example: Path 2 still does not have a one-button export feature for all your content, although Morin says this is on the way. Right now, the only way to get all your data from the system is by sending an email request to customer service.
Also, the ability to view and analyze your Path data from other perspectives — say by zooming out to see an annual timeline, or a month view — is not yet available. These types of features could be made possible if Path releases an API, which Morin says is a definite possibility for the future.
But will it have staying power?
The question of money is an important one here. Many web startups don’t start thinking seriously about revenue in the first couple years of business, but if you’re going to use an app as your personal journal, you want to have confidence that it will stay around for a while. Evernote, for example, is a profitable business: The company charges $45 per year for its premium app and the company’s CEO Phil Libin has been forthright about his mission to make Evernote a going concern for the next 100 years.
Path, which has 20 employees, is not at a point where it can cover its own costs. Path 2 is a totally free app and Morin says he has no plans to start running ads. The business model is a “freemium” one, but for now the only premium products Path sells are small: Additional photo filter options and the like. Path has other premium offerings in the pipeline, Morin tells me, and the good news is the company won’t have to worry about keeping the lights on for a while: It has taken on some $11 million in funding since its inception.
All in all, Path 2 is a great looking app and it stands a chance to become a big hit in the months ahead. But if it wants people to really be serious about committing to the new app, Path could do well to outline its financial plans a bit more firmly for prospective users.
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/kktEAFzr
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/tkhQXx8T
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/gJEiaH2i
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/hK9MpcTL
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/LMLrZPsa via Colleen Taylor
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Iv4hDP32
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/5icpqxmj
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/KDPPv0A4
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/oIVLwZPx
Colleen: I love this new version of Path too. Got me to spend 50 minutes with the founders: http://youtu.be/2iDjrW8NqJI We discover what it takes to build great design.
Wow. Pretty different. I liked Path’s single focus on the photo and the limited number of people you could have in your “circle.” It was everything that every other social platform wasn’t. That said, I haven’t used Path regularly, and I like the new design and expanded purpose. But, I still think there’s a market for simple, focused apps and platforms.
Thanks for the comment, Robert– video is really helpful for seeing how this app works.
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Scobleizer: RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/2ktF78d7
gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/2ktF78d7
Might give Path another go RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/ygXYcndG
News: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/BlHLeovb #smm #marketing
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/cCqaYs2M #marketing #business #success #biztips
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/GKyEnr8H
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/JQmM0DNA
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/6UdEL664
[GigaOM] Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign … http://t.co/BGgGeAAN
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/GKsf2YJf
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/YWGtwRny
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign w… http://t.co/8xBrk3XE #gigaom
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/mGkObXBo @amarchugg #news
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/TVyVLG4f @amarchugg #news
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/9HFT7YEh
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/LgmBREZU
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/4bVubzyB
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/kTFe9vy2
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/igYhnei5
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/NbImDO2s
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/W5EePBMv
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/NwdjZWu9
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/NJXws8lW
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/bVirTJaJ
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/oLbo0Fau
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/OB1KAOcd #technology
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesi… http://t.co/VyFzuMt9 Via. GigaOM
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Path has enacted a dramatic redesign with the … http://t.co/OvLBrKp0
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/q4crbkAr
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Lots of people — myself included — maintain pe… http://t.co/ZNIbbg80
“@gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/1sxQcX7g” interested to see if this can take off.
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/nqHY8qWq
2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Jz4W4DRs
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Mshe5Uc3
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/uiqNzWyN
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/UaqjGmCV
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/itCWpzBI
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/dqCjf5GF #socialmedia #sm
Interesting…Will try it out. RT “@gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Vds79qzi”
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: This past spring, the team… http://t.co/30GIjAap
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/YJyxKoMs
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/E2EbEfvL
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Vgy2uznm
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/2UZvY6wS
RT @GigaOm: Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/9dugrucb
Social Media News : Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/XEKXsvnv
@earth2tech: Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/MQxwJMiF
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with 'Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/718XBQuu
#tech #news Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/TBlRMowG
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world. http://t.co/exiPgn5i”
‘Path’ deja de ser solo photo-sharing para convertirse en un “life journal” ..” A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/z2irXDlv
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/WEsmXVeX
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/WEsmXVeX
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/4ed1b3hg
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/BpN654vX
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/g0lrKAu6
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world – GigaOm http://t.co/PL5QI1M7
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Lots of people — myself included — maintain pe… http://t.co/QConBOJy
Path revamps with @Path 2: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/kerKSgQM #tech
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/R9vLTkZF
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/krygCSLp
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/apggBzCF
“What Evernote does for work, we do for life.” @Path 2: http://t.co/h34Nl5kj
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Lots of people — myself included — maintain pe… http://t.co/lxYjs32X
…cont) world
http://t.co/WIPpd5by
Colleen, Morin’s response to “differences from Facebook” was not sufficient. He has homework to do.
Downloaded Path 2. #pretty RT @loh: “What Evernote does for work, we do for life.” @path 2: http://t.co/FTMXkCQ7
RT @jenneraustin: Downloaded Path 2. #pretty RT @loh: “What Evernote does for work, we do for life.” @path 2: http://t.co/FTMXkCQ7
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: This past spring, the team at Path realized it… http://t.co/DAT38WJ8
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/3mUBA16E
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Lots of people — myself included — maintain pe… http://t.co/xspMN2RA
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: The San Francisco-based startup had debuted it… http://t.co/sbznEf7m
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/0RAo7u2A via @zite
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/QC633U46
Seems that 50 friends limit is now 150.
Path si rinnova (di brutto) e da semplice photo sharing diventa un “Social-diario” personale: http://t.co/0LxkXiFW
Bueno, con 11M$ se lo pueden permitir. La idea original tampoco era tan original. Path revamps with ‘Path 2′ http://t.co/az9fBmQU
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/rs6aLrMQ
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
My latest at GigaOM, from earlier this evening: “Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world” http://t.co/BkGtojz6
RT @savanzi: Path si rinnova (di brutto) e da semplice photo sharing diventa un “Social-diario” personale: http://t.co/0LxkXiFW
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: Lots of people — myself included — maintain pe… http://t.co/6yuRPcoY
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/7unlTsRs #socialmedia
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/4Rs791tL
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @jenneraustin: Downloaded Path 2. #pretty RT @loh: “What Evernote does for work, we do for life.” @path 2: http://t.co/FTMXkCQ7
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/t9qDZZMo
Path revamps with ‘Path 2: A diary for the #social, #mobile world http://t.co/veoRvT1k
Path 2.0 se mue en véritable réseau social, laissant de côté son côté Photo Sharing http://t.co/9vrXWaHG
Path, useless & beautiful app, why nobody uses it? http://t.co/pJb0RAcO
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/2qkqr7v5
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world: You can choose to keep each update entirely to… http://t.co/3Xgrpj9n
RT @gigaom Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/vrhqMqZC
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/lgKBjY0R
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/6cGWnFag via @zite
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
Path revamps w/ ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world @loyalelectron. been using path it rocks, much improved. http://t.co/dRO0OwYS
Co-founder Dave Morin talked to @loyalelectron about the new version of Path: http://t.co/4eTF3mRm
Path revamps with diary app ‘Path 2′ http://t.co/kp7Hp1xQ
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world – http://t.co/9MjqgcNe
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/gh60LDLJ #technology
RT @mathewi: Co-founder Dave Morin talked to @loyalelectron about the new version of Path: http://t.co/4eTF3mRm
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/Cel8JELk
Path actually sounds interesting now ->Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/FSFUbAMX
Revamped @Path iOS app works beautifully and looks even more stunning. Some great design decisions were made. http://t.co/U4hpemlk
It’s very cool … “#Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world” http://t.co/dXDquqH0
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/oUTZlhHz
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/qaHFeQTe
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/1nJ94i4j [Liking Path 2 - big improvement.]
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world – GigaOm http://t.co/A4telmOL
RT @gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/I26TAjhy
This seems very similar to the Facebook Timeline feature, and I think Path’s challenge will be to differentiate itself from that feature when it rolls out. The option to choose whether or not to share it with friends is a nice touch though.
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/jThp2ZtK
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/qgsoTb3I
Pathアプリを新UIバージョンにアップデートしてみた。スマホの狭い画面でこれだけ綺麗なUIを作れるのは芸術。http://t.co/IzfCM2eE
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/gafBEOTG
Path revamps w/ ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world @loyalelectron. http://t.co/f61gb95s – RT @om: 4 @steube
Striking out on a different Path – revamped service aims to be mobile ‘smart journal’ – http://t.co/G5if0Scn (via @gigaom)
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the #social, #mobile world http://t.co/3JvrgkHH
“@gigaom: Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/WJ1fGcT6”very cool
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social, mobile world http://t.co/LF8ymHj7
I’d love it if it created its own Photo album on Facebook so I didn’t have to upload photos to multiple locations (Instagram/Path/Facebook/Twitter) when I feel like “sharing a moment”.
Path revamps with ‘Path 2′: A diary for the social #mobile world – http://t.co/PiVWDRBq