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

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Renegade:
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.
-ak_ (March 21, 2011, 06:32 AM)
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The telling thing there is that you mentioned Photoshop. (I use it too and love it.)

It really puts people like you and I out of the picture. ;) We don't fit into the normal user demographic at that point.

I think that it suits what a lot of people want to do though. Photoshop makes you a god, but few people have divine aspirations. Most of what I do is relatively simple, but impossible on a mobile. I think most people have pretty simple needs.

The only thing that I really do much of on my mobile is read news and post it to Facebook every now and then. The form factor, for me, is simply too limiting and frustrating to use. But, it suits a lot of people.

Those like us out there will continue to crave the raw power you get on the desktop. Different strokes I suppose.

I think simplifying things makes functionality more accessible, which in turn is kind of like what you mentioned with "it's actually what you can do with them that is exciting." Most people can't do ANYTHING in Photoshop, but a doodle program is accessible.

Oh -- off topic, but have you seen any of those MS Paint videos where someone creates some wicked amazing art?

ak_:
Different strokes I suppose.-Renegade (March 21, 2011, 07:37 AM)
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I think so. There's no need to say "Apps should be more like software" or the opposite, we just need both.

Ye, i saw those Ms Paint videos. It's a nice performance, but that's all it is to me.

Renegade:
Different strokes I suppose.-Renegade (March 21, 2011, 07:37 AM)
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I think so. There's no need to say "Apps should be more like software" or the opposite, we just need both.
-ak_ (March 21, 2011, 10:18 AM)
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I think you're right there, and I think that's a problem when people get religious about X or Y. We need screwdrivers and hammers after all. :)

JavaJones:
For me the divide between desktop and mobile app is very much about creation vs. consumption. On my desktop I spend a good portion of my time (or at least much more so than on my mobile) actually creating content/media, whether it's doing photo editing, writing emails, doing forum posts, blogging, rendering, or any one of a dozen other things. None of them I would do now, nor likely ever do, on a phone or tablet unless A: the input devices are much more capable and B: the speeds are comparable. On my phone virtually all my apps are consumption-oriented, from RSS feed readers to weather watchers to email to Facebook. The only "creation" I do is minuscule by comparison to my desktop experience: brief instant messages and texts. I've done a little bit of email on there but in most cases I'll have access to a proper computer soon enough that I don't bother.

All that being said sure I could see how desktop software is "boring". Guess what, that's the sign of a mature market. The app market is *not* mature, that's quite clear. I would venture to say its current appeal may have little to do with how great and different and "fun" apps are, and more to do with their newness and the fact that the app market hasn't reached maturity. In other words "this too shall pass", and soon enough we'll be talking about how apps are "played out" and "experiences" (e.g. "jacking in" a la Strange Days or any other cyberpunk story) are where it's at.

- Oshyan

mahesh2k:
Apple paralyzed people in the name of 'GTD and less is more type' of thingy. Some jobs requires a lot of detailing and features, take any music software or finance software for example, they need a lot of features. Not a single mobile platform app, is going to solve this issue. You may find some apps doing job of desktop software, but you're limited with view, typing and many other thought inputs that makes you do better on desktop, not on mobile. So my point is in case of niche softwares (music, finance etc), you can attract customers but can't get them to run on longer term with apps. Desktop softwares come with detailing and features so these softwares.

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.
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Nokia 1110i and previous phones used to have feature to bar unwanted numbers, all modern nokia and sony erricson phones lack this feature in their mobile sets(as per my observation). Zen wisdom says, 'face yer fears, don't run away from it' and following that quote all the mobile app companies and apple cuts features like this which are necessary. That's ancient solution to demanding innovation ;)

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