Cult of Mac: Apple News, Reviews and How Tos

19 comments

While I understand the context for the statement — a Consumer Electronics Show panel discussion platform in which 2/3 of participants are pocketing multiple smartphones and have ample expense budgets for devices to play with all day long — the same can not be said for the bulk of actual ordinary consumers nor today’s businesses that are still facing lean times.

Compelling business cases will still need to be made for embarking on mobile application development– particularly in light of the multiple platforms competing for customer attention today: Blackberry, Java, iPhone, Android, webOS, and even Windows Mobile and BREW continue to attract phone manufacturer attention.

Developing ‘something’ mobile is not strategic. It’s money down a hole. If a company wishes to gain competitive advantage by using the mobile arena to move ahead, it takes deliberate thought about their customers and how they can provide a compelling solution. There are too many useless mobile apps that have been born of this silly mania already.

Back to basics, folks. Build a business case, listen to your customers, and THEN sit down with your development staff to pick a mobile platform or platforms to attack.

Mike Compeau, on January 7th, 2010 at 4:07 pm

As someone who has a phone that can connect to the internet but does not have a full browser like Safari on the iPhone, I would much rather see companies building mobile interfaces to their websites than spending the same money (or more) on an application that works for one phone that is used by a very small percentage of people. There are too many websites that could be very useful to me in a mobile environment that are not functional on my non-iDroidBerryPhone.

Anna Creech, on January 7th, 2010 at 7:06 pm

@Mike Compeau,

I have to say you can’t be more wrong.

All the non-Apple mobile phone stores all have negative return on investment for majority of developers, due to the numerous variations of the other phones including incompatible software, different hardware.

Developing for iPhone / iPod touch platform, with 50 million devices used by top tier of customers on the other hand, is worthwhile.

Obama Pacman, on January 8th, 2010 at 2:27 pm

As someone who is developing a mobile app, I’ll be focusing on both the iPhone and Android platforms.

Payton (aka - Cyxodus), on January 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am

Interesting!
I agree that if you are not on iPhone you lose, but again, we shouldn’t forget that iPhone is still not a dominant player in smartphone market. However companies do have to have their own app! Its like having a website now.

Online Pharmacy, on January 11th, 2010 at 3:30 am

As someone who works for a mobile development company I’m conflicted by the nature of this post. Companies do in fact exist with or without mobile applications and in all reality if they do create an app that serves no purpose they’re just adding to the clutter sitting in the app store.

Mike said it best, you need to make a business case for building an application on whichever platforms you choose and then run head on with the project. The app can only be as successful as the people and companies behind it. There are plenty of do it yourself app builders on the market today and if a company feels that they need an extension of their web presence or brand I would encourage you to check out http://www.appanda.com. No harm in looking!

Matt, on January 12th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

Digg nuff said.

Keith, on January 12th, 2010 at 2:54 pm

If you have a website, you’re already on every smartphone.

If your website needs a special “mobile version,” then there is something very wrong with your website. Fix the problem, and you’ll get a mobile website either for free, or by adding a stylesheet.

Companies with iPhone apps that don’t do anything useful are wasting customers’ time and announcing their stupidity.

Here’s a good point of comparison: how do you buy a Mac from your iPhone? Does store.apple.com have a special mobile version? Does Apple make an “Apple news” iPhone app?

Bird, on January 12th, 2010 at 3:03 pm

I agree with Mike Compeau, but Bird said it best. FIX your website!

Here’s a related point.
Adhere to web standards. Even Microsoft is going this way, so your only choices are:
1) Use web standards, or,
2) Use web standards, AND code for ie 6, 7, and sometimes 8 anomalies.

Anna Creech:
The days left to sell a phone with internet access, but without a full browser are short indeed. It’s nearly here for a phone bought today.

Michael, on January 12th, 2010 at 4:06 pm

Releasing an app on the app store is not the right solution for every company. Nevertheless, you definitely need a properly formatted mobile site. Good examples on iPhone (ESPN, Walmart, Amazon) to name a few. They differentiate their sites on the iPhone from other mobile phones by taking advantage of the superior mobile feature set of the iPhone. This is only the beginning so getting a head start will only benefit those that start early. If I am using my phone to look up a solution to a problem I need good results that are legible and easy to navigate. If your site has my solution, I will definitely remember that whether its on my phone or the desktop in the future.

Michael, on January 13th, 2010 at 4:35 am

Regarding the comment above that the iPhone is not a dominant player in the smart phone market, there is a more important fact to consider. Most analytics show that the majority of mobile traffic on websites is coming from people using iPhones. There are many other devices that are web enabled, but people don’t access the web with them nearly as much. A lot of this has to do with the capabilities (or lack of capabilities) of the phones’ browsers.

That said, the idea that a mobile app is a “must have” for businesses is absurd. Michael’s comments are right on when he says that the more important thing is to have a mobile accessible site. If you can optimize your web content in a way which makes sense, considering the context of mobile users (i.e. on the go, small screen, etc), you will have an advantage in your industry.

Developing native applications for specific devices is costly and time consuming. In some cases it makes sense, when the App is a product that you want to sell, or you need to take advantage of core functionality of an individual device. But in most cases, a mobile optimized site, or web based application will be a more cost efficient and robust solution. The difference of course is that mobile optimized content will work across multiple devices.

Dennis, on January 13th, 2010 at 10:31 am

I hate to break the news to Anna Creech, but growth for cell phone manufacturers in developed countries is in smart phones. Within three years, any phone that does not boast full Web access will be considered anachronistic. We’ve already done the webpages designed for inferior phones and PDAs gambit and it was awful. No one who has experienced the Internet on a super smart phone wants to revisit WAP.

Interloper, on January 13th, 2010 at 6:13 pm

For those app developers that don’t know Objective-C and Cocoa Touch and don’t want to outsource development, check out localbeacon (an iphone app builder) at http://www.bigforge.com. Great for those who want to build just one app or developers interested in white label. Full integration of Twitter and Facebook.

Eileen, on February 21st, 2010 at 11:58 pm

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Ryqhwgkx, on April 22nd, 2010 at 9:54 am

Remarkable idea

NouraLago, on May 11th, 2010 at 5:15 pm

The customs’ opinion and suggestion are very importent.

Chinese handicraft, on May 31st, 2010 at 3:26 am

Yes, mobile is certainly the future of the net… IMO

Columbus DJ, on July 28th, 2010 at 11:45 am

Excellent short article. Like the to the point style! I’m loving my iphone!

Charlotte Home Remodeling Contractor, on July 28th, 2010 at 11:47 am

Thanks for the update and information. I’m a blackberry user right now who is thinking of making the switch!

Exterior Window Shutters, on July 28th, 2010 at 11:48 am

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