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Software is Boring, Apps are Fun (Hint: Apple Discussion again)

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Paul Keith:
"Most of the software released these days, is boring. If you don’t believe me, browse around the software section of your favourite (online) retailer. See anything that excites you? No? Thought so."

Source[/size]

How different is the world of apps. Apps are fun! They usually do one thing really, really good. It’s not as if ground-breaking mobile apps are released everyday, but there’s more innovation here than there has been in software land in the past five years. These apps vary in price from free to a couple of local currency. Only a few are what you would call “expensive”. While it makes sense to have small, easy to use apps on your phone, I wonder whether it’s a good thing the apps are now making their way to desktop land.
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Some of the comments:

Tim Acheson said:

"Apps" are overrated.

Most are either pointless gimmicks duplicating functionality already available in the web browser. Apps are popular on iOS partly because the web browser is so bad! (Flash doesn't work, etc.)

Please don't compare the "Apps (trademark)" on iOS and Android to the real software applications available on Windows including Windows 7 tablets.

This article sounds like it's written by somebody utterly brainwashed by Apple's marketing.

Author replies:

"This article sounds like it's written by somebody utterly brainwashed by Apple's marketing."
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That's why I wrote this article: because people are going on and on about apps (and it's not hard to see why) - not about new software. I don't think it is necessarily a good thing that the app model makes its way to our desktops (It's not just the Mac App Store, but also the Chrome App thing and future Windows Marketplace that try to cash in on the app hype). Still, software could learn something from the user-friendliness the best apps have to offer. Compared to some of the crap that lands on my desk every week, these apps are HEAVEN.

Tim Acheson replies:

"people are going on and on about apps"
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That's so true. Of course, the word "app" is just an abbreviation of the term "application", but from Apple's marketing you could be forgiven for believing that Apple invented the concept of software installed on a base OS! Indeed, Apple is actually trying to copyright "App" in the context of their App Store.

"Still, software could learn something"
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So true -- many of the apps I've seen look beautiful. I even think web apps could be improved by taking lessons from software apps on mobile devices. I asked a UX designer I work with about this, and he pointed out that the smaller screen real estate forces him to focus on the interface like never before.

Food for Thought:

Consistent with the mega-trend that reached the knee of the hockey stick curve 3-4+ years ago - the hyper-fragmentation of all things digital. -Philip Hotchkiss

Renegade:
The fact that the released software lacks innovation and often uses features that are standard in your OS already.
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That is an example of what comes out of your mouth when you've been drinking the mobile kewl aid.

If you ignore what's happening in desktop/traditional software and only look at what's happening in mobile software, I suppose you could say that. You'd still be wrong, but you could say it.

Please allow me to blow the author away in a single word:

Melodyne.

The level of technology, innovation, mathematics, physics, and pure coolness in that is simply unmatched by ANYTHING in the mobile world. NOTHING comes remotely close.

It is way farther ahead of any research or academic theory out there.

To deny it that recognition is to not understand the issues involved.

They can separate individual components from mixed music. That's the same thing as taking a cake then giving you neatly arranged piles of sugar, flour, water and whole eggs that you could either scramble for fry sunny side up!

CHALLENGE:

I will give anyone all of the credits in my DC account if they can give an example of anything in the mobile world that comes close to that level of innovation.


Mobile is cool, and there's a lot of great stuff in there, but the hyperbole it just way too much.

ak_:
Maybe software doesn't look exciting, but i guess it's actually what you can do with them that is exciting.

Renegade:
Maybe software doesn't look exciting, but i guess it's actually what you can do with them that is exciting.
-ak_ (March 20, 2011, 09:09 PM)
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I think that's lost a lot of the time.

One of the "innovations" in mobile software (apps) is that they're so limited and simple that "features" don't get in the way of letting you get things done. If you think of some mobile app, then think of what it lets you do, then think of a desktop professional package that lets you do that, then compare the difficulty levels, it becomes more apparent just how bloated a lot of things on the desktop are becoming.

ak_:
Renegade> Well, it's true for rather simple projects. If your project is simple, you'll do better with a simple tool (ie a mobile app). I can doodle on my ipad and make some nice stuff, but for serious work i'll switch to Photoshop, Manga Studio etc.

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