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> We understand that directing your user outside of your app may not be the user experience you prefer to offer your users. However it is a common experience in

by DanI-S 14y ago

> We understand that directing your user outside of your app may not be the user experience you prefer to offer your users. However it is a common experience in a variety of iOS apps. That doesn't seem like the kind of uncompromising approach to fantastic user experience that has made Apple so successful.

ge0rg 14y ago
Except that exactly this approach is going to make Apple more successful if Apple apps are the only ones allowed to have uncompromised UX.
- Dove 14y ago
  You know, I feel like iOS and Android are recapitulating the Mac and PC wars of the '90s. Not exactly, mind you, but it feels like the same struggle between niche beauty and popular pragmatism. Between a controlled experience with a unifying vision, and plug-and-play user freedom. One major difference is that iOS enjoys an advantage in apps that Mac never had in software. I think that could change, though. There is a positive feedback loop in which the most popular platform attracts developers and hence has the most software and so people buy that platform. I don't perceive that system to be in a stable state at the moment, much like it wasn't in, say, '88. People routinely develop for both platforms. And who knows, perhaps that will be the steady state answer this time; we're a lot better at abstraction than we used to be. But I think it's possible that Android could become popular enough (and perhaps Apple drive enough developers away), that the whole thing could pass a tipping point. What I'm saying is, I don't think the beauty of the apps is the most powerful force in play here. I think the existence of apps is a lot more powerful. At least, that's what I think happened last time beauty fought pragmatism.
  - sad_panda 14y ago
    Starting with Windows 95, Windows had an objective advantage over Macintosh. The operating system supported preemptive multitasking, the hardware was considerably more powerful, and the software base was huge. With iOS vs. Android, from the consumer's perspective, the differences are really subtle. The major issue at hand with developer freedom is hidden from view for most people.
lucisferre 14y ago
You mean like the app store? Or iCal? Nothing is blemish free.
signalsignal 14y ago
I think Instacast, and maybe Flattr as well, should boycott Apple and instead focus on the Android platforms starting with Google Play and Amazon's Appstore. Otherwise they are helping to perpetuate and even reward this kind of behavior. Does anyone have the link for Instacast for Android?
- slantyyz 14y ago
  I agree, developers need to vote with their feet if they want any chance to influence Apple's policies.
  - hamoid 14y ago
    I did two years ago. Sold my iMac and switched to Linux. I think it didn't have that much influence on Apple, but I feel good about it, I get my stuff done, and that's what counts.
  - jlarocco 14y ago
    I don't think that can work. Maybe for a few exceptional cases like Facebook or Twitter, but 99.99% of developers don't have near that much leverage. In this case, for example, if Instacast isn't in the AppStore most people will simply choose an alternative "podcatcher" that is. Honestly, most of the companies who could vote with their feet on this issue need the AppStore a lot more than the AppStore needs them.
    - slantyyz 14y ago
      While the App store is indeed powerful, it's also severely flawed beyond the approval process. Discoverability is a huge problem, and honestly, more than 80% of the apps aren't very good. And given that iOS apps are still in the gold rush stage, that percentage of crappy apps is growing by the day. If a significant number of the developers who vote with their feet are part of the top 20% (for quality), and the boycott becomes more widespread, I think Apple would have to respond. In the post-Jobs era, who knows if something like this could have an impact.

by DanI-S 14y ago

ge0rg 14y ago

Except that exactly this approach is going to make Apple more successful if Apple apps are the only ones allowed to have uncompromised UX.

Dove 14y ago
You know, I feel like iOS and Android are recapitulating the Mac and PC wars of the '90s. Not exactly, mind you, but it feels like the same struggle between niche beauty and popular pragmatism. Between a controlled experience with a unifying vision, and plug-and-play user freedom. One major difference is that iOS enjoys an advantage in apps that Mac never had in software. I think that could change, though. There is a positive feedback loop in which the most popular platform attracts developers and hence has the most software and so people buy that platform. I don't perceive that system to be in a stable state at the moment, much like it wasn't in, say, '88. People routinely develop for both platforms. And who knows, perhaps that will be the steady state answer this time; we're a lot better at abstraction than we used to be. But I think it's possible that Android could become popular enough (and perhaps Apple drive enough developers away), that the whole thing could pass a tipping point. What I'm saying is, I don't think the beauty of the apps is the most powerful force in play here. I think the existence of apps is a lot more powerful. At least, that's what I think happened last time beauty fought pragmatism.
- sad_panda 14y ago
  Starting with Windows 95, Windows had an objective advantage over Macintosh. The operating system supported preemptive multitasking, the hardware was considerably more powerful, and the software base was huge. With iOS vs. Android, from the consumer's perspective, the differences are really subtle. The major issue at hand with developer freedom is hidden from view for most people.

lucisferre 14y ago

You mean like the app store? Or iCal? Nothing is blemish free.

signalsignal 14y ago

I think Instacast, and maybe Flattr as well, should boycott Apple and instead focus on the Android platforms starting with Google Play and Amazon's Appstore. Otherwise they are helping to perpetuate and even reward this kind of behavior. Does anyone have the link for Instacast for Android?

slantyyz 14y ago
I agree, developers need to vote with their feet if they want any chance to influence Apple's policies.
- hamoid 14y ago
  I did two years ago. Sold my iMac and switched to Linux. I think it didn't have that much influence on Apple, but I feel good about it, I get my stuff done, and that's what counts.
- jlarocco 14y ago
  I don't think that can work. Maybe for a few exceptional cases like Facebook or Twitter, but 99.99% of developers don't have near that much leverage. In this case, for example, if Instacast isn't in the AppStore most people will simply choose an alternative "podcatcher" that is. Honestly, most of the companies who could vote with their feet on this issue need the AppStore a lot more than the AppStore needs them.
  - slantyyz 14y ago
    While the App store is indeed powerful, it's also severely flawed beyond the approval process. Discoverability is a huge problem, and honestly, more than 80% of the apps aren't very good. And given that iOS apps are still in the gold rush stage, that percentage of crappy apps is growing by the day. If a significant number of the developers who vote with their feet are part of the top 20% (for quality), and the boycott becomes more widespread, I think Apple would have to respond. In the post-Jobs era, who knows if something like this could have an impact.