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The Case Against [mobile] Apps

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zridling:


Christopher Butler from Imprint talks about why the web is a far better way to access, appreciate, and create content.
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/story/index.html?story=/mwt/feature/2011/07/27/web_apps_imprint
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Suppose I read the center article in the "timeline" interface above (a meritable UI idea, to be fair) and then wanted to share it with a friend or among my social network. There is really no good way to do so; the article itself doesn't have a specific address of its own, nor does the issue as a whole. The best I could do would be to link to Wired Magazine's listing at iTunes. The article I read is an undifferentiated, un-locatable piece of the issue -- the 500mb glorified PDF that we're calling an "app." Sadly, this is not just a hypothetical scenario; this very conundrum presented itself to me within an hour of downloading that first issue. Being the savvy and resourceful Web user that I am, I went to Wired.com, found the article I liked, and sent a link to that URL -- the Web version -- to my friend. Just a second or two later, after clicking "Send," I thought, Why didn't I just start here in the first place?  You know, on the Web, where, for the most part, the exact same content offered by the $3.99 app is available for free, along with additional sharing and engagement opportunities the app version lacks.

JavaJones:
This is just a feature request, not a fundamental problem. Wired: add "share this article" functionality to your Wired Reader app. If they're smart, they will do so. I didn't read the full article... ;)

- Oshyan

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