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Welcome to development on a closed system and platform (iOS). Sure, it has its fair share of advantages, but then you also have to deal with shenanigans like th

Welcome to development on a closed system and platform (iOS). Sure, it has its fair share of advantages, but then you also have to deal with shenanigans like this.

MatthewPhillips 15y ago
Being closed isn't relevant here. If Ubuntu built this feature into the OS the same thing would happen to 3rd parties. The lesson is about hitching your wagon to one platform. Marco has been an outspoken "iOS only" developer and part of me wants to see him eat crow for taking that position. But that's not fair, at the end of the day he's a smart guy and he'll either adjust or come up with another killer idea. He made the smart play at the right time, but all good things come to an end.
- tptacek 15y ago
  What does this have to do with him being iOS-only? If he build iP for Android, wouldn't the overwhelming majority of his revenue would still come from iOS, and be just as threatened?
  - MatthewPhillips 15y ago
    They would still be threatened, but less so, because being multi-platform is a feature that differentiates from Apple's. I'm pretty sure Read it Later isn't sweating as much about this, because they have the single best Android app and the single best Web app of this category. They also have a very good iPhone and iPad app that some iOS-only users will have a less of an interest in. But for others they can sell on larger availability than what Apple offers.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      I don't think that's how it works. At the end of the day, what matters is his revenue graph. If almost all his revenue comres from iOS, and Reading List muddies the water enough to cut into that, the "cross platform" checkbox isn't going to save him, because it's not relevant to the majority of people who pay him. I don't think iP is doomed, for what it's worth; I just don't think this is the answer.
      - MatthewPhillips 15y ago
        Almost all of his revenue comes from iOS because he almost exclusively develops for iOS. How much this stings is directly proportionate to how much he's invested into this one platform; in his case it's near 100%. In Evernote's case, they could (if they were in this position) take the blow, pivot a little if necessary, and continue moving forward.
        tptacek 15y ago
        The subtext here is that people with cross-platform apps tend to report that the majority of their revenue comes from iOS, so that comment isn't really responsive.
rimantas 15y ago
How much wait till some open platform pays $2.5 billion to developers?

Welcome to development on a closed system and platform (iOS). Sure, it has its fair share of advantages, but then you also have to deal with shenanigans like this.

MatthewPhillips 15y ago

Being closed isn't relevant here. If Ubuntu built this feature into the OS the same thing would happen to 3rd parties. The lesson is about hitching your wagon to one platform. Marco has been an outspoken "iOS only" developer and part of me wants to see him eat crow for taking that position. But that's not fair, at the end of the day he's a smart guy and he'll either adjust or come up with another killer idea. He made the smart play at the right time, but all good things come to an end.

tptacek 15y ago
What does this have to do with him being iOS-only? If he build iP for Android, wouldn't the overwhelming majority of his revenue would still come from iOS, and be just as threatened?
- MatthewPhillips 15y ago
  They would still be threatened, but less so, because being multi-platform is a feature that differentiates from Apple's. I'm pretty sure Read it Later isn't sweating as much about this, because they have the single best Android app and the single best Web app of this category. They also have a very good iPhone and iPad app that some iOS-only users will have a less of an interest in. But for others they can sell on larger availability than what Apple offers.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    I don't think that's how it works. At the end of the day, what matters is his revenue graph. If almost all his revenue comres from iOS, and Reading List muddies the water enough to cut into that, the "cross platform" checkbox isn't going to save him, because it's not relevant to the majority of people who pay him. I don't think iP is doomed, for what it's worth; I just don't think this is the answer.
    - MatthewPhillips 15y ago
      Almost all of his revenue comes from iOS because he almost exclusively develops for iOS. How much this stings is directly proportionate to how much he's invested into this one platform; in his case it's near 100%. In Evernote's case, they could (if they were in this position) take the blow, pivot a little if necessary, and continue moving forward.
      - tptacek 15y ago
        The subtext here is that people with cross-platform apps tend to report that the majority of their revenue comes from iOS, so that comment isn't really responsive.

rimantas 15y ago

How much wait till some open platform pays $2.5 billion to developers?