This is why Windows Phone is SO far behind.

[AngryNil]

The app isn't just a controller, it captures video & photos AND allows you to post them to Youtube. It's a controller + iMovie in one app.

And how exactly does support for a niche technology cause Windows Phone to be so far behind? You picked about the worst example possible, you should have gone with a popular service like Instagram or a missing local transit app which millions find useful. Is the iPhone 5 dead in the water because it doesn't support NFC?

I've seen these demoed and they are neat, but in no way are they a deal breaker for many more than a few thousand people.

 

[massifheed]

And how exactly does support for a niche technology cause Windows Phone to be so far behind?

You could say that the OP picked a bad example but, in reality, it's quite an accurate picture of how things are with support for WP apps - companies just don't write apps for WP (unless they have their arm twisted or MS or Nokia write it themselves!).

I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen an advert for some company's downloadable app only to find that you can only get it on iPhone, Android or even Blackberry. I'm talking mainstream as well, so high street shops and restaurants, banks garages etc. If a well-known company has an app, you can pretty much bet it'll be on anything other than WP.

I could understand this if the OS had been out for less than a year, but we're at two years now, or thereabouts, and still we're seeing plenty of developers ignoring WP, and others saying they have no plans to develop for WP. I'm not convinced either than things will change with WP8/W8. Plenty of people were saying that the lack of apps wouldn't be a problem once Mango arrived, but nothing much changed there.

I recently bought an iPad 2, and while I'm most certainly not an Apple ******, two things hit me - you can get official apps for most things you can think of, and the OS update support. I know the WP8/7.8 thing has been covered in other threads, and I understand the Kernal change etc, but it wasn't lost on me that my 18 month old, second gen iPad gets iOS 6 (and runs just fine), but my 6 month old Lumia 900 won't get WP8, and yet it was MS that originally made a big thing about no fragmentation with their platform.

Anyway, I realise that's a different subject. I guess my point in all of this is that we're all fairly agreed on the fact that devs wont make apps for a platform that has such a low market share, but it almost seems like many companies have no interest in WP whatsoever, regardless of user numbers. How does MS go about changing that?

 

[eric12341]

I don't think apps are the problem:

Consumers ignore most apps on their smartphones

 

[cp2_4eva]

Windows phone is not that far behind. The app scene is much different though I will admit. Apps on android and iPhones are more robust. The thing that gives the windows phone a slight edge is that the same thing that is the opening icon on Windows phones is also the information panel. Other OS apps rarely have that and most of the time require you to put up a space taking, power soaking widget. At this time there are trade offs. One day WP will have their own huge a different market, it just won't be with the next 6 months to a year away. I admit, I peeked over the fence and realized how bad many Windows phone apps are. I didn't think it mattered until a week ago. So many quality apps makes a difference.

Sent from my beast of a device.

 

[sinime]

I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I think what puts WP behind, is not allowing WP7 apps to run on Win 8 RT tablets. I don't know about BB, but the other OS's can run the same app on both, with custom views depending on if it's running on a phone or tablet. Each view would have the same hooks, so the code behind file works with both. WP7 apps are at times more expensive than their iOS/Android counterparts, and now you'll have to pay twice for the same app on your phone and tablet, assuming you want it on both... Couple that with not being able to share a Zune ID for apps (wife wants her own gamer tag for gaming) and now I could, in theory be buying an app 4 times between the wife and I. On iOS, my wife and I shared an app ID, but had different gamer IDs... so in theory, we could purchase an app once, at a cheaper price, and use it on both of our iPhones and both of our iPads.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[mdameron]

OP: Is this a REASON, or SYMPTOM? If WP7 had more marketshare, your app would be made for it. Not vice versa.

It is annoying being on a platform that when you see an ad for some cool new app, it's only on iOS and Android.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Keep in mind, folks, that WP gained 100,000 apps in considerably shorter time than iOS or Android. Once you hit that mark, and once you launch a hardware platform that people are interested in... developers take note. I insist, we're at that point for the first time in a long time with Microsoft.

I don't dispute that we need a lot of the "popular" stuff, because even though everyone gets bored with it quickly, that's what captures hearts and minds. I argue, however, that adding those whiz-bang features onto a platform that gets the day-to-day details right makes for a stronger platform, and that's why Microsoft has ALWAYS dominated.

They watch. They listen. They learn. And they implement what people WANT better and faster than any other tech company on earth. Oh, and every third attempt reveals a winning combination... we're on attempt 3.

 

[cckgz4]

AR.Drone 2.0 RC Quadricopter from Parrot

Yup, all these genius developers making apps like this for iOS/Android and not for Windows Phone.

Seriously? This is why I don't come to this forum a lot anymore

 

[AngryNil]

You could say that the OP picked a bad example but, in reality, it's quite an accurate picture of how things are with support for WP apps - companies just don't write apps for WP (unless they have their arm twisted or MS or Nokia write it themselves!).

I have echoed this sentiment myself. You need the management at that local service you use to say "hey, let's developer for Windows Phone too!"

But that's not what this post is about, Smoledman is focusing on how "geniuses" with niche products are not creating apps for Windows Phone. That is not the problem. The management of my city's public transit network is not a genius who created a drone. He's probably an ordinary guy who is evaluating options, and Windows Phone is not there in either mind share or market share.

 

[fatclue_98]

If having a controller app for a toy qualifies as supremacy for a phone OS, then MS, RIM and anything else will go the way of the dodo bird. Now I haven't even bothered to read about this app but as far as I can tell, most toy choppers use some form of IR gate for the handheld remote. Last time I checked, neither the iPhone or any Android has IR. In fact, the last IR-equipped phone I can recall is the Palm Treo Pro. Which begs the question, what good is an app if you can't use it? Proof of concept is meaningless if it can't come to fruition.

 

[Dave Blake]

My thought on this topic are that it is a good topic to discuss. The OP chose a rather obscure app to make the point but the point is valid. You could add to that apps like banking apps and TV Station apps for example. When will we see those. I think it is a good topic for this community to discuss. Especially if Microsoft reads the forum and I think they do.

I also think we will see little movement on this until we gain market share. Its all about selling phones.

 

[GoodThings2Life]

I also think we will see little movement on this until we gain market share. Its all about selling phones.

Which is why I think we see Microsoft focusing on making sure core OS functionality is there baked in... if the OS does the majority of what users want, then it effectively reduces the apps from the smartphone equation, and then Apple and Android seem expensive with all their app purchases.

Hmm, kinda the same argument they use with buying a Mac.

 

[Simon Tupper]

It's about who has the most apps in their market place, but rather about who gets the official and cool apps first, it's all about visibility and Microsoft is not pushing WP hard enough. If WP8 delivers, it will be the time to show off what WP can do better.

 

[baseballbert]

It's about who has the most apps in their market place, but rather about who gets the official and cool apps first, it's all about visibility and Microsoft is not pushing WP hard enough. If WP8 delivers, it will be the time to show off what WP can do better.

Agreed! No more promised of "rolling thunder" only to give a light drizzle at best.

 

[rex.reyesiii]

Well i think the Russians attaching the phone itself to the remote control cars is better. Since Nokia has Lumia 920 that have OIS, good at night because its better @Low Light etc.

I bet its better than what the Toy+Phone Controller App is trying to achieve.

 

[SnailUK]

Surely this is exactly why unifying all the Microsoft products under one kernel is soo important.

Once you've written an app for one Microsoft platform, it should be minimal work to adapt it for other platforms.

Even if Windows, Windows Tablet and Windows Phone sales are poor, you've got an installed base of 100s of millions of xboxs.

If Indie developers and XBLA developers are creating games that can easily be ported to other platforms, thats overnight a huge influx of content.

Even if windows 8 sales are poor, there should still be litterally millions of people looking through the windows marketplace for apps. Thats all potential WP8 content.

What would be clever, is if part of the app/game certificiation process, was some program that inspected a piece of content, then gave an indication of the difficulty of porting to all other Microsoft platforms, so Microsoft could send a mail to the developer saying. Well done on releasing app X. Did you know if you changed Y and Z, you could see the same app on WP8, or A & B and sell it on xbox.

 

[1jaxstate1]

I've noticed that when most apps come out. The normally always come to iOS and Android. WP7 and BB are a second thought. IDK what it will take to get devs to give us some first class treatment, but it needs to change.

I don't think it is about marketshare. I swear I seen a study where devs who have cross platform apps [iOS, Android, WP7], that they made almost if not more money from WP7.

 

[crystal_planet]

I've noticed that when most apps come out. The normally always come to iOS and Android. WP7 and BB are a second thought. IDK what it will take to get devs to give us some first class treatment, but it needs to change.

I don't think it is about marketshare. I swear I seen a study where devs who have cross platform apps [iOS, Android, WP7], that they made almost if not more money from WP7.

I disagree. If a dev makes .10 off every Android/iOS app. but .25 from WP what does it matter especially if he can sell 1000X more on those established ecosystems?

I think MSFT has to push for established devs to jump on board with both feet. How many times have we seen here a poster that is thinking about jumping to WP but is asking if it has stuff like instagram and the like?

 

[power5]

Now I haven't even bothered to read about this app but as far as I can tell, most toy choppers use some form of IR gate for the handheld remote. Last time I checked, neither the iPhone or any Android has IR. In fact, the last IR-equipped phone I can recall is the Palm Treo Pro. Which begs the question, what good is an app if you can't use it? Proof of concept is meaningless if it can't come to fruition.

The cheaper incarnations use a plug in IR generator that straps to the device, this brand uses its own wifi signal generated from the car/chopper to interact with the device.

 

[1jaxstate1]

I couldn't find the article that was on WMPU.

I've been saying money bags MS should be dropping bags of money off to these devs. I guess it doesn't work like that though. Because I see no reason why some of these top notch apps are not on WP7.

I disagree. If a dev makes .10 off every Android/iOS app. but .25 from WP what does it matter especially if he can sell 1000X more on those established ecosystems?

I think MSFT has to push for established devs to jump on board with both feet. How many times have we seen here a poster that is thinking about jumping to WP but is asking if it has stuff like instagram and the like?