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His title is clearly calling out 37 Signals, not every company. Are you a bit defensive? 37 Signals has thousands of users, maybe even more. It's my understandi

by jonpaul 16y ago

His title is clearly calling out 37 Signals, not every company. Are you a bit defensive? 37 Signals has thousands of users, maybe even more. It's my understanding that there is constant demand for a native mobile app. If your business doesn't need a native app, then don't create one. It's really that simple.

bradleyland 16y ago
I could see why you'd think I'm being defensive, given all the 37Signals fanboys out there, but I am not among them. I respect their work, but I disagree with a lot of their ideas about running a company. I am just struggling to find the point of the article. If he's simply calling out 37Signals, then more power to him. Here I was trying to find something to take away from the article.
- jonpaul 16y ago
  His main point is that 37signals doesn't have a native app for Android/iOS but should because of the increasing number of users that own these devices. His secondary point is that a mobile phone web app simply isn't enough. Without rereading the article, he backs this up with an example of low internet signal in the bathroom and how a native app could remedy such a matter. He also mentions an airplane. That was my simple summary. My takeaway is that software entrepreneurs should consider such issues. As he is right. Mobile web apps aren't enough. The UI paradigm between iOS and Android alone is enough to demonstrate this. I'm going to write a blog post about this tomorrow. Interesting topic that coincidentally I was discussing last night.
bradleyland 16y ago
So assuming we're talking about 37 Signals only, I'd still offer the rebuttal that claiming obsolescence because of a lack of native app is a stretch. It's hyperbole. Yes, there is a vocal community of users who want a native app, but what are the costs associated with building the native app? Would 37 Signals see any substantial benefit by releasing a native app? What percentage of their user base are dissatisfied with the mobile web app? There are a vocal community of users that want Flash on their iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. There are a vocal community of users who want a Facebook iPad app. Apple and Facebook aren't on the path to obsolescence because they don't bend to the whim of their users. In order for something to be obsolete, it must be operable, but unused. To be on the path to obsolescence, one would expect a decline in use. That's pretty hard to prove in the case of 37 Signals, because they don't publish user-base numbers. Or maybe they do. Does anyone have a source for this information?
- jonpaul 16y ago
  You've presented a very good rebuttal that's hard to disagree with.

by jonpaul 16y ago

bradleyland 16y ago

I could see why you'd think I'm being defensive, given all the 37Signals fanboys out there, but I am not among them. I respect their work, but I disagree with a lot of their ideas about running a company. I am just struggling to find the point of the article. If he's simply calling out 37Signals, then more power to him. Here I was trying to find something to take away from the article.

jonpaul 16y ago
His main point is that 37signals doesn't have a native app for Android/iOS but should because of the increasing number of users that own these devices. His secondary point is that a mobile phone web app simply isn't enough. Without rereading the article, he backs this up with an example of low internet signal in the bathroom and how a native app could remedy such a matter. He also mentions an airplane. That was my simple summary. My takeaway is that software entrepreneurs should consider such issues. As he is right. Mobile web apps aren't enough. The UI paradigm between iOS and Android alone is enough to demonstrate this. I'm going to write a blog post about this tomorrow. Interesting topic that coincidentally I was discussing last night.

bradleyland 16y ago

So assuming we're talking about 37 Signals only, I'd still offer the rebuttal that claiming obsolescence because of a lack of native app is a stretch. It's hyperbole. Yes, there is a vocal community of users who want a native app, but what are the costs associated with building the native app? Would 37 Signals see any substantial benefit by releasing a native app? What percentage of their user base are dissatisfied with the mobile web app? There are a vocal community of users that want Flash on their iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. There are a vocal community of users who want a Facebook iPad app. Apple and Facebook aren't on the path to obsolescence because they don't bend to the whim of their users. In order for something to be obsolete, it must be operable, but unused. To be on the path to obsolescence, one would expect a decline in use. That's pretty hard to prove in the case of 37 Signals, because they don't publish user-base numbers. Or maybe they do. Does anyone have a source for this information?

jonpaul 16y ago
You've presented a very good rebuttal that's hard to disagree with.