5 ms·

Picwing (YC S08) and the importance of print photos

19 points by edawerd 17y ago

joel_feather 17y ago
Why are they making an android app first, and an iPhone app second?
- dannyr 17y ago
  Maybe they are trying to test it on a smaller subset of users.
adamhowell 17y ago
With all the small, actually-have-a-business-plan startups we're going to be seeing in the next several years, I think there's a huge demand for more press coverage like this. Daily articles, audio and video from knowledgeable reporters and interviewers that really dive into the business, technology and lifestyle of small startups (even more so than this video, which is more 30,000 ft). Of course, then you'd have an awesome little media company with great, original content that still had to make its money via... advertising. Ugh.
- edawerd 17y ago
  Vator.tv has a refreshing take on startup reporting, I think. Instead of copy/pasting your "About" page, Chris of Vator actually came over twice to chat with us and learn more about the company and learn more about us, the founders more personally.
Timothee 17y ago
I thought Picwing was only making the smart frame (http://www.picwing.com/frame http://www.picwing.com/frame). Was the printing there all this time and I missed it, or did they just change direction and focus on the print service rather than the hardware?
- edawerd 17y ago
  We've changed directions and have been focusing on our print service. We still think our frame is quite awesome, but it turns out that a lot of families still like getting physical prints in the mail and posting it up on their fridge and what not. We learned early on that there is a much bigger opportunity, huge market, and slower competitors in the prints business. Add on top of that a much lower investment requirement for a software business (even our printing and order fulfillment is done on the cloud), and it just made business sense for us to switch to an online printing service.
  - anigbrowl 17y ago
    Props on your flexibility, and particularly on having the vision to service the other side of the digital divide. If it's not confidential, I wonder what proportion of your business is urban v rural? While I was looking at your site I was thinking it was sad that people would upload photos for automated delivery to Grandma rather than (say) print them out at home or Walgreens and add a handwritten note...then it struck me that I take digital convenience for granted, living in SF.
  - Timothee 17y ago
    I agree with your frame being quite awesome! Glad you saw the better opportunity and took it. Good luck to you!

19 points by edawerd 17y ago

joel_feather 17y ago

Why are they making an android app first, and an iPhone app second?

dannyr 17y ago
Maybe they are trying to test it on a smaller subset of users.

adamhowell 17y ago

With all the small, actually-have-a-business-plan startups we're going to be seeing in the next several years, I think there's a huge demand for more press coverage like this. Daily articles, audio and video from knowledgeable reporters and interviewers that really dive into the business, technology and lifestyle of small startups (even more so than this video, which is more 30,000 ft). Of course, then you'd have an awesome little media company with great, original content that still had to make its money via... advertising. Ugh.

edawerd 17y ago
Vator.tv has a refreshing take on startup reporting, I think. Instead of copy/pasting your "About" page, Chris of Vator actually came over twice to chat with us and learn more about the company and learn more about us, the founders more personally.

Timothee 17y ago

I thought Picwing was only making the smart frame (http://www.picwing.com/frame http://www.picwing.com/frame). Was the printing there all this time and I missed it, or did they just change direction and focus on the print service rather than the hardware?

edawerd 17y ago
We've changed directions and have been focusing on our print service. We still think our frame is quite awesome, but it turns out that a lot of families still like getting physical prints in the mail and posting it up on their fridge and what not. We learned early on that there is a much bigger opportunity, huge market, and slower competitors in the prints business. Add on top of that a much lower investment requirement for a software business (even our printing and order fulfillment is done on the cloud), and it just made business sense for us to switch to an online printing service.
- anigbrowl 17y ago
  Props on your flexibility, and particularly on having the vision to service the other side of the digital divide. If it's not confidential, I wonder what proportion of your business is urban v rural? While I was looking at your site I was thinking it was sad that people would upload photos for automated delivery to Grandma rather than (say) print them out at home or Walgreens and add a handwritten note...then it struck me that I take digital convenience for granted, living in SF.
- Timothee 17y ago
  I agree with your frame being quite awesome! Glad you saw the better opportunity and took it. Good luck to you!