7 ms·

Kevin Rose’s New App Tiiny Lets You Share Photos That Disappear in 24 Hours

27 points by todd8 12y ago

rdoherty 12y ago
I'm confused, didn't Kevin do this with Milk? This really feels like a double déjà vu. What's the angle? Why do basically the same thing you did before?
- ch4s3 12y ago
  Throw away the first one and write it better the 2nd time around? Not sure, I'm confused as well.
  - vonklaus 12y ago
    No they are rapidly prototyping start-ups. They are going to come to market with a dif product every quarter until one is sticky/ run several apps simultaneously (and integrate?).
    - aaronbrethorst 12y ago
      Just like with Milk and Oink, right?
- metabren 12y ago
  It's the same, just later. He probably feels he's learned from his previous mistakes and can do it better this time.
  - boqeh 12y ago
    Plus, I think Milk was a way of getting into Google. Build anything, get picked up by G-Ventures. This time, he's just doing it for himself because he likes building products. There really is no end game.
- aaronbrethorst 12y ago
  > didn't Kevin do this with Milk? Yes. He did the exact same thing before. Copy a popular category of apps that's probably on its way out already, and promise a 'fast pivot' if it doesn't work. > What's the angle? Why do basically the same thing you did before? If I had to guess, I'd say it's something like: 'I'm loaded, being a VC is soulless, and I think Snapchat is dumb because of [reason]'.
  - rhizome 12y ago
    [reason] "...have a valuation."
- rsobers 12y ago
  Not sure why the article would say it's peculiar when it's the same thing Rose did before: > [North] has a peculiar strategy. Rather than languish on building one app, North is trying to use a small team of about 3 people to launch a new mobile app every three months.
  - Touche 12y ago
    Except last time they only ever released 1 app.
stephenitis 12y ago
Somewhere between instragram's explore view and snapchat's functionality. I'd like to see some more creativity... I hope he still does http://foundation.bz/ http://foundation.bz/ interviews those were the best product to come from KR in awhile.
heyheyhey 12y ago
> Rose told TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington that the app is currently going through the iOS App Store approval process and should launch very soon. What about Android? Another app that's releasing on iOS first? :(
- melling 12y ago
  You should simply pick one platform and get it right first. Iterate or pivot then once you gain traction, port. Why iOS first? Does it matter? It's his call.
- Iftheshoefits 12y ago
  iOS users are Apple consumers. Among that group there are far more people who: a) are interested in associating themselves with tech-fashion trends and companies, b) have the disposable income to spend (either directly or indirectly via advertising-driven sales), and c) have shown that they are willing to part with said income fairly readily. I don't particularly care for Apple's products. I find them to be at best of equivalent quality to other items on the market and the aesthetic doesn't particularly appeal to me. But I recognize the value in targeting and marketing to that audience first.
- infra178 12y ago
  Developing for iOS is less expensive.
- crystaln 12y ago
  iOS users spend more, are worth many times Android users to ad buyers, get laid more, and are an all around better demographic. It's true - look it up. http://www.wired.com/2010/08/gadget-sex/ http://www.wired.com/2010/08/gadget-sex/ http://fortune.com/2014/06/27/apples-users-spend-4x-as-much-as-googles/ http://fortune.com/2014/06/27/apples-users-spend-4x-as-much-... http://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2013/11/15/android-dominates-market-share-but-apple-makes-all-the-money/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2013/11/15/android-d...
liamshaw 12y ago
This seems to be a step in the wrong direction. The user's connectedness to their friends is now becoming even more superficial. People already spend too much time consuming social content that doesn't enrich their lives, and this type of content is even more detached than anything on fb, twitter, or snapchat.
- mgkimsal 12y ago
  "The user's connectedness to their friends is now becoming even more superficial." Maybe 'connectedness to their friends' is not a good metric? "People already spend too much time consuming social content that doesn't enrich their lives" Maybe stuff from outside their circle of 'friends' will enrich their lives? I've no idea if tiiny does this or not, but there's got to be more to the topic of media sharing/discovery than what we have now.
  - liamshaw 12y ago
    I'd say that you're right, mate. Stuff outside of your circle of friends (i.e. this site) does enrich lives. So why make tiiny? Maybe 'connectedness to their friends' isn't a good metric for tiiny, as maybe that's not their goal. But I would say it's a good metric to keep in mind for people in general, and one that I think is being overlooked as people consume more and more 'social' content that doesn't really make them feel very social at all.
joeguilmette 12y ago
This is such a waste of bright minds. There are so many fun, interesting, real challenges in the world. Why are we still devoting so much energy into finding new ways to fucking share photos?
- chasing 12y ago
  $
  - aNoob7000 12y ago
    Exactly... It's all about the Benjamins.
    - threeseed 12y ago
      Just like everyone who creates a startup is doing it for the money. They definitely aren't doing it because they like to make something they think is cool and would like to see in the world. Absolutely not.
      - hyperbovine 12y ago
        The vast majority of people who create startups are trying to make $$. Nearly all of the claim to the contrary that they are doing it for the reasons you mention, but very few actually are.
        ohquu 12y ago
        No. They're doing it to create beautiful, innovative products that make life more beautiful. And innovative.
        PythonDeveloper 12y ago
        I unfriend you. :-)
- 12y ago
fotoblur 12y ago
Insert different name and no one cares.
macspoofing 12y ago
This may be a fun app BUT geez is that all silicon valley entrepreneurs can do...photo-sharing apps?
steele 12y ago
"Well, that's an interesting take on applying the ephemeral trend to tumblr / bing image search" was my immediate thought, and I wanted to see some of the other comments were. Turns out that a few folks here express sour grapes about how a successful person devotes their time, energy, and resources. Kevin Rose & his team of 3 developers don't owe anyone solutions to the world's problems.
- joeguilmette 12y ago
  Of course not, he doesn't owe the world anything. But I mean, really. Don't you wish that the valley had more Musks and less photo sharing apps?
  - vonklaus 12y ago
    Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to build a photo-sharing app with a lifetime of experience in the consumer internet space, than it is to become arguably the best entrepreneur to have ever lived.
    - joeguilmette 12y ago
      Surely there is room between "imgur meets snapchat" and SpaceX.
      - vonklaus 12y ago
        There actually is a lot of cool innovation, but it takes a long time to have credible deliverables. Firefly space systems comes to mind. Oculus is pretty cool as well. I think in the consumer space you have Ladar levinson's new cryptography. Lot of shit being built on BTC protocol. But yeah, id like to see more done and hope to participate soon.
  - steele 12y ago
    My only wish for silicon valley was that it was cheaper to live there. I really don't care that there are a ton of photo sharing apps. If someone has a fire in their belly and want to make something, even if it has been done before, more power to them. Let the VCs sort through the junk and fund what they find valuable, that should be part of their value. I don't understand this reaction to a techcrunch article. I wish there were more Elon Musks, but don't necessarily care if they were in Silicon Valley. Personally, I'd like to see Detroit come up, and I'd like to see money flow into augmenting the life of the majority of folks; people that can't afford Tesla cars. And the valley does have more Elon Musks, waiting to break out like Paypal so they can chase their crazier aspirations.
ngokevin 12y ago
asdapdjalkdadlak sldjasld j salda
vonklaus 12y ago
I reckon I will give it a try before I blast it on an online message board. KR is a smart guy, and he sure could use a win, so all the best to him.
mentaat 12y ago
the question is not whether this is a gimmick but why is he on google's payrol?
msane 12y ago
I'm starting to hope someone makes an app that stores photos indefinitely.
walterbell 12y ago
It may be helpful to create a diagram of all possible permutations of photo-sharing apps (persistence, symmetry, synchronicity, transformation, augmentation, distribution). New startups could then self-identify, e.g. as Type 27. This would free up time for investors and consumers to focus on other differentiators like branding, design, PR, etc.

27 points by todd8 12y ago

I'm confused, didn't Kevin do this with Milk? This really feels like a double déjà vu. What's the angle? Why do basically the same thing you did before?

ch4s3 12y ago
Throw away the first one and write it better the 2nd time around? Not sure, I'm confused as well.
- vonklaus 12y ago
  No they are rapidly prototyping start-ups. They are going to come to market with a dif product every quarter until one is sticky/ run several apps simultaneously (and integrate?).
  - aaronbrethorst 12y ago
    Just like with Milk and Oink, right?
metabren 12y ago
It's the same, just later. He probably feels he's learned from his previous mistakes and can do it better this time.
- boqeh 12y ago
  Plus, I think Milk was a way of getting into Google. Build anything, get picked up by G-Ventures. This time, he's just doing it for himself because he likes building products. There really is no end game.
aaronbrethorst 12y ago
> didn't Kevin do this with Milk? Yes. He did the exact same thing before. Copy a popular category of apps that's probably on its way out already, and promise a 'fast pivot' if it doesn't work. > What's the angle? Why do basically the same thing you did before? If I had to guess, I'd say it's something like: 'I'm loaded, being a VC is soulless, and I think Snapchat is dumb because of [reason]'.
- rhizome 12y ago
  [reason] "...have a valuation."
rsobers 12y ago
Not sure why the article would say it's peculiar when it's the same thing Rose did before: > [North] has a peculiar strategy. Rather than languish on building one app, North is trying to use a small team of about 3 people to launch a new mobile app every three months.
- Touche 12y ago
  Except last time they only ever released 1 app.

stephenitis 12y ago

Somewhere between instragram's explore view and snapchat's functionality. I'd like to see some more creativity... I hope he still does http://foundation.bz/ http://foundation.bz/ interviews those were the best product to come from KR in awhile.

heyheyhey 12y ago

> Rose told TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington that the app is currently going through the iOS App Store approval process and should launch very soon. What about Android? Another app that's releasing on iOS first? :(

melling 12y ago
You should simply pick one platform and get it right first. Iterate or pivot then once you gain traction, port. Why iOS first? Does it matter? It's his call.
Iftheshoefits 12y ago
iOS users are Apple consumers. Among that group there are far more people who: a) are interested in associating themselves with tech-fashion trends and companies, b) have the disposable income to spend (either directly or indirectly via advertising-driven sales), and c) have shown that they are willing to part with said income fairly readily. I don't particularly care for Apple's products. I find them to be at best of equivalent quality to other items on the market and the aesthetic doesn't particularly appeal to me. But I recognize the value in targeting and marketing to that audience first.
infra178 12y ago
Developing for iOS is less expensive.
crystaln 12y ago
iOS users spend more, are worth many times Android users to ad buyers, get laid more, and are an all around better demographic. It's true - look it up. http://www.wired.com/2010/08/gadget-sex/ http://www.wired.com/2010/08/gadget-sex/ http://fortune.com/2014/06/27/apples-users-spend-4x-as-much-as-googles/ http://fortune.com/2014/06/27/apples-users-spend-4x-as-much-... http://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2013/11/15/android-dominates-market-share-but-apple-makes-all-the-money/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2013/11/15/android-d...

liamshaw 12y ago

This seems to be a step in the wrong direction. The user's connectedness to their friends is now becoming even more superficial. People already spend too much time consuming social content that doesn't enrich their lives, and this type of content is even more detached than anything on fb, twitter, or snapchat.

mgkimsal 12y ago
"The user's connectedness to their friends is now becoming even more superficial." Maybe 'connectedness to their friends' is not a good metric? "People already spend too much time consuming social content that doesn't enrich their lives" Maybe stuff from outside their circle of 'friends' will enrich their lives? I've no idea if tiiny does this or not, but there's got to be more to the topic of media sharing/discovery than what we have now.
- liamshaw 12y ago
  I'd say that you're right, mate. Stuff outside of your circle of friends (i.e. this site) does enrich lives. So why make tiiny? Maybe 'connectedness to their friends' isn't a good metric for tiiny, as maybe that's not their goal. But I would say it's a good metric to keep in mind for people in general, and one that I think is being overlooked as people consume more and more 'social' content that doesn't really make them feel very social at all.

joeguilmette 12y ago

This is such a waste of bright minds. There are so many fun, interesting, real challenges in the world. Why are we still devoting so much energy into finding new ways to fucking share photos?

chasing 12y ago
$
- aNoob7000 12y ago
  Exactly... It's all about the Benjamins.
  - threeseed 12y ago
    Just like everyone who creates a startup is doing it for the money. They definitely aren't doing it because they like to make something they think is cool and would like to see in the world. Absolutely not.
    - hyperbovine 12y ago
      The vast majority of people who create startups are trying to make $$. Nearly all of the claim to the contrary that they are doing it for the reasons you mention, but very few actually are.
      - ohquu 12y ago
        No. They're doing it to create beautiful, innovative products that make life more beautiful. And innovative.
        PythonDeveloper 12y ago
        I unfriend you. :-)
12y ago

fotoblur 12y ago

Insert different name and no one cares.

macspoofing 12y ago

This may be a fun app BUT geez is that all silicon valley entrepreneurs can do...photo-sharing apps?

steele 12y ago

"Well, that's an interesting take on applying the ephemeral trend to tumblr / bing image search" was my immediate thought, and I wanted to see some of the other comments were. Turns out that a few folks here express sour grapes about how a successful person devotes their time, energy, and resources. Kevin Rose & his team of 3 developers don't owe anyone solutions to the world's problems.

joeguilmette 12y ago
Of course not, he doesn't owe the world anything. But I mean, really. Don't you wish that the valley had more Musks and less photo sharing apps?
- vonklaus 12y ago
  Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to build a photo-sharing app with a lifetime of experience in the consumer internet space, than it is to become arguably the best entrepreneur to have ever lived.
  - joeguilmette 12y ago
    Surely there is room between "imgur meets snapchat" and SpaceX.
    - vonklaus 12y ago
      There actually is a lot of cool innovation, but it takes a long time to have credible deliverables. Firefly space systems comes to mind. Oculus is pretty cool as well. I think in the consumer space you have Ladar levinson's new cryptography. Lot of shit being built on BTC protocol. But yeah, id like to see more done and hope to participate soon.
- steele 12y ago
  My only wish for silicon valley was that it was cheaper to live there. I really don't care that there are a ton of photo sharing apps. If someone has a fire in their belly and want to make something, even if it has been done before, more power to them. Let the VCs sort through the junk and fund what they find valuable, that should be part of their value. I don't understand this reaction to a techcrunch article. I wish there were more Elon Musks, but don't necessarily care if they were in Silicon Valley. Personally, I'd like to see Detroit come up, and I'd like to see money flow into augmenting the life of the majority of folks; people that can't afford Tesla cars. And the valley does have more Elon Musks, waiting to break out like Paypal so they can chase their crazier aspirations.

ngokevin 12y ago

asdapdjalkdadlak sldjasld j salda

vonklaus 12y ago

I reckon I will give it a try before I blast it on an online message board. KR is a smart guy, and he sure could use a win, so all the best to him.

mentaat 12y ago

the question is not whether this is a gimmick but why is he on google's payrol?

msane 12y ago

I'm starting to hope someone makes an app that stores photos indefinitely.

walterbell 12y ago

It may be helpful to create a diagram of all possible permutations of photo-sharing apps (persistence, symmetry, synchronicity, transformation, augmentation, distribution). New startups could then self-identify, e.g. as Type 27. This would free up time for investors and consumers to focus on other differentiators like branding, design, PR, etc.