3 ms·

I knew the guy who made the original faux-MMS app. When Apple added MMS to iPhone, his app died swiftly. I also knew the guy who made the original, best voice

I knew the guy who made the original faux-MMS app. When Apple added MMS to iPhone, his app died swiftly. I also knew the guy who made the original, best voice recorder app too. He made a mint, but then Apple made it a native app, and his app pretty much died too. Never underestimate the potential of the platform-owner to take what he wants from your business.

Steko 15y ago
"Never underestimate the potential of the platform-owner to take what he wants from your business." I'm not sure there's a more wrong way of looking at it. Apple didn't make an MMS app to steal some dev's profits. They made an MMS app because it's an obvious natural app to make and put on every phone. Never underestimate the potential of an early entrant to whine about the loss of their perceived feifdom.
tptacek 15y ago
Excuse me in advance for 'edw519'ing out: - - - - lots of features w/ mainstream appeal - -> - - - - has network effects -- - - - - - - - - - > - - - - wants to be cross-platform - - - - - - - > | LARGE MARKET | | | .-- instapaper? .-- MMS | | | | | | hard SPECTRUM of DIFFERENTIABILITY easy <-------------------------------------------------------> | | | | | | `-- voice | `-- music recorder| social | network? | | | | SMALL MARKET | It remains to be seen where deferred-reading is on this spectrum. My gut is that it's somewhere in the middle, but that the total market for it --- notably unlike special-purpose voice recorders --- is so big that you might not need to work too much harder to retain the status quo. My point is that it's not as simple as you make it out to be. There's plenty of room on iOS for a better calculator (like PCalc); plenty of room for portfolio tracking, even for special-purpose camera interfaces.
- andrewljohnson 15y ago
  How you put MMS as having no network effects and not being cross-platform is beyond me.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    I didn't. I said network effects are among the things that make products easier to differentiate, because users aren't just shopping for 80% features, but also care about the community of people already using specific products. That is clearly not the case with MMS functionality. Your objection is isomorphic to the claim that IP has "network effects", and phone numbers, and zip codes. Do you actually disagree that MMS is in a different position that Instapaper? Or are you just infuriated by my silly ASCII graphic?
    - andrewljohnson 15y ago
      I disagree in the ways in which it is different. I think these axes are not good descriptors. And I do not enjoy beating my wife, for what it's worth.
      - tptacek 15y ago
        Write a glib comment, get a glib response! What are the axes you think are better descriptors?

Steko 15y ago

"Never underestimate the potential of the platform-owner to take what he wants from your business." I'm not sure there's a more wrong way of looking at it. Apple didn't make an MMS app to steal some dev's profits. They made an MMS app because it's an obvious natural app to make and put on every phone. Never underestimate the potential of an early entrant to whine about the loss of their perceived feifdom.

tptacek 15y ago

Excuse me in advance for 'edw519'ing out: - - - - lots of features w/ mainstream appeal - -> - - - - has network effects -- - - - - - - - - - > - - - - wants to be cross-platform - - - - - - - > | LARGE MARKET | | | .-- instapaper? .-- MMS | | | | | | hard SPECTRUM of DIFFERENTIABILITY easy <-------------------------------------------------------> | | | | | | `-- voice | `-- music recorder| social | network? | | | | SMALL MARKET | It remains to be seen where deferred-reading is on this spectrum. My gut is that it's somewhere in the middle, but that the total market for it --- notably unlike special-purpose voice recorders --- is so big that you might not need to work too much harder to retain the status quo. My point is that it's not as simple as you make it out to be. There's plenty of room on iOS for a better calculator (like PCalc); plenty of room for portfolio tracking, even for special-purpose camera interfaces.

andrewljohnson 15y ago
How you put MMS as having no network effects and not being cross-platform is beyond me.
- tptacek 15y ago
  I didn't. I said network effects are among the things that make products easier to differentiate, because users aren't just shopping for 80% features, but also care about the community of people already using specific products. That is clearly not the case with MMS functionality. Your objection is isomorphic to the claim that IP has "network effects", and phone numbers, and zip codes. Do you actually disagree that MMS is in a different position that Instapaper? Or are you just infuriated by my silly ASCII graphic?
  - andrewljohnson 15y ago
    I disagree in the ways in which it is different. I think these axes are not good descriptors. And I do not enjoy beating my wife, for what it's worth.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      Write a glib comment, get a glib response! What are the axes you think are better descriptors?