Is there a real "app gap"?

[Markham Ranja]

Those app are definitely cool, but not essential. WP is actively working very hard to improve the experience, those apps will come, new apps come every day.

Not to you, but to many people they are. I transfer money to family and friends a lot, so Citibank is essential to me. I travel a lot and use Uber for fast and easy transport in most cities I visit. This is also essential.

Many people who run their own businesses need Square. On my last trip to the SFO Bay Area, I found that almost all taxi drivers in SF accept credit cards via Square. So Square is essential for them.

I don't own a house with Nest, but I did get an AirBNB rental which had one and the owner was kind enough to allow me to control his Nest with my Nexus. Now this was in December and SF is cold in December, too cold for me. So on my way home, I could tell Nest to heat up the house and I arrive to a nice warm house instead of a freezing cold one which takes a good 30 mins to heat up. Perhaps that's not essential, but pretty nice to have.

Now why would I abandon these capabilities which are rather important to me, and start using my 920 while hoping, without any assurance, that "those apps will come"?

I'm yet to hear a good answer for this. Some people have explained that the UI for them bypasses these considerations, but I've always been a function-over-form person and though I do like the UI and the Hub concept, I haven't found a non-aesthetic reason for me to use WP as a daily driver.

 

[worldspy99]

Flipboard is an essential app, providing information and news about the topics you like or any topic in general. It also helps to avoid being an ***** who doesn't know what's happening around the world.

Clearly you are the ******, downplaying others who say a valid point against WP. WP is not perfect, open your eyes, it has some faults and likewise other OSes. I understand that you are loyal to WP and maybe had some terrible experience with other OSes, but blindly claiming something without knowledge prior to your claim is showing that you are an ignorant person with a narrow view.

There are multiple ways to get news so that you can avoid being an ***** who doesn't know what's happening around the world. Relying on only one app to wisen you up is showing how narrow a world view you have....

Clearly you haven't been around WPC enough to know that I have devices in spades on all three OSes.

I was making a point against a particular poster who constantly recommends people to get an iPhone regardless of what the topic is on WPC. If you are having a difficult time understanding sarcasm and reading multiple threads here that this particular poster constantly sings praises for the iPhone than that is your issue....

My comment never claimed WP was superior, perhaps you might want to re-read again to see the sarcasm/humor in it.

 

[drelewis]

yesterday I wanted to stream the EPL to my phone. NBC sports has an app WP does not have it. Dust collects on wp.

 

[TLRtheory]

What is this I don't even...

I like this portion of the post, because it fits your bout of random ill-composed hostility better than it does my post.

Who are you to tell people what they should and should not want from their devices? Most people aren't interested in "looking around" - we just want our phones to work. And I'm sorry, but there are enough holes in the WP app roster to prevent many, many people from using it. WhatsApp just crapped out on WP again. No Tinder, half-working Snapchat, no Candy Crush - you possibly don't care about any of these services and neither do I, for that matter, but for many millions of people these are things they've grown to expect from their phones. More importantly, these apps are also social apps, like QuizUp (which I do care about) and getting a WP or 3rd party alternative means you'll always be playing second fiddle to your friends with iOS or Android. Again, perhaps you don't care, but not being able to play QuizUp with my friends is, to me, a very valid reason to keep using my Nexus and let my 920 sit on the shelf.

I see you've interpreted the mean of my post with the elegance of a stumbling drunk. First off, there's no part of my post where I told people what they should and should not want from their device, nor did I even shun the personal motives of people who just can't live without Candy Crush, Tinder and whatnot. That may be the doing of your own mis-interpretation, but I only presented the case that some think that the WP platform is incapable of things it actually is capable of.

"...we just want our phones to work" also doesn't fit well here because the implication is that our phones don't "just work". I see what you're doing there and that line just didn't accomplish what you wanted it to.

Finally, 3rd party alternatives don't always mean playing "second fiddle" at all. I just gave examples of that when citing functionality that some third party apps have over the *official* version. People hunt for methods and plugins that allow you to download content from Youtube so they can enjoy without the leash of a data connection, same goes for the times someone just wants to listen to something on youtube while they're driving - and want to turn off the screen so they conserve battery while getting what they want. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but the point is that 3rd party doesn't mean they're playing second fiddle at all when you get features not even the official app has.

 

[carlos12001]

Not to you, but to many people they are. I transfer money to family and friends a lot, so Citibank is essential to me. I travel a lot and use Uber for fast and easy transport in most cities I visit. This is also essential.

Many people who run their own businesses need Square. On my last trip to the SFO Bay Area, I found that almost all taxi drivers in SF accept credit cards via Square. So Square is essential for them.

I don't own a house with Nest, but I did get an AirBNB rental which had one and the owner was kind enough to allow me to control his Nest with my Nexus. Now this was in December and SF is cold in December, too cold for me. So on my way home, I could tell Nest to heat up the house and I arrive to a nice warm house instead of a freezing cold one which takes a good 30 mins to heat up. Perhaps that's not essential, but pretty nice to have.

Now why would I abandon these capabilities which are rather important to me, and start using my 920 while hoping, without any assurance, that "those apps will come"?

I'm yet to hear a good answer for this. Some people have explained that the UI for them bypasses these considerations, but I've always been a function-over-form person and though I do like the UI and the Hub concept, I haven't found a non-aesthetic reason for me to use WP as a daily driver.

Yes, you have some valid points, which brings me to the saying-"to each their own" also, nobody can give you a confirmation on any of those app coming to WP, nor can they assure you whether or not they work correctly on on android device to another. I understand you rely on those,apps, but where I live, nobody uses Citibank and everyone has a car, so while it would be nice to have, not necessary. That's just my opinion I not trying to start an argument /join the argument

 

[Ivin Laney]

Finally, 3rd party alternatives don't always mean playing "second fiddle" at all. I just gave examples of that when citing functionality that some third party apps have over the *official* version. People hunt for methods and plugins that allow you to download content from Youtube so they can enjoy without the leash of a data connection, same goes for the times someone just wants to listen to something on youtube while they're driving - and want to turn off the screen so they conserve battery while getting what they want. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but the point is that 3rd party doesn't mean they're playing second fiddle at all when you get features not even the official app has.

What about the features that the WP apps don't have? You use Youtube as an example so where is the chromecast support? Where are the apps that are always up when Google decides to change the API? You can't only mention features that are not in the official app while ignoring the gaps in functionality the the 3rd party apps have. I also hope you know that the WP 3rd party YouTube apps do not exclusively have those extra features. They are on Android and iOS 3rd party apps too.

Beyond that, 3rd party apps may be better then the official app ON WP but I wouldn't always say they are better than the official apps on iOS (i.e. Snapchat & Paper) and sometimes Android.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

6Tag gives you better functionality than the native instagram app for all three ecosystems. You use YouTube as an example??? Google fought tooth and nail to keep any kind of resemblance from being on WP. That's not the design of the app, that's the refusal to work with MS. Yet you can get Office on Apple and Android.

 

[mpt15]

Iam not any ecosystem fan boy.just i said that that many love flipboard.heck it is also there in windows 8.1 not windows phone.

Sent from my C2305 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

flipboard isn't the end of the world. There are several similar apps which do the job very well.
People who use WP don't struggle to keep up with happenings around the world just because there is no flipboard. Maybe you should try another app. Or maybe you should get an iPhone and leave us in peac.

 

[dcuk7]

Sadly there is still a real app gap, both in terms of apps not being available on the platform to apps that are available not being as good as their iOS or Android counterparts.

A good example of this is Temple Run 2. This is currently my favourite mobile game. Really helps me kill time when I'm working on a server and waiting for it to do its thing. On Android it gets constant updates and little seasonal add-ons that can add a bit more fun to the game. The Windows Phone version gets none of these. There is also a feature on Android where you can choose to watch a quick video advert when you die to get a free "save me" so you can carry on playing that run. This again isn't available on the Windows Phone version.

Another example is Spotify. On iOS and Android it just got a huge makeover and its one of the most attractive-looking apps around at the moment. The Windows Phone one is awful in comparison (and that's both looks-wise and most importantly feature-wise). I know Microsoft does all the heavy dev work on Spotify for Windows Phone but that only goes to highlight the problem. Windows Phone is still an afterthought for many companies.

 

[Ivin Laney]

6Tag gives you better functionality than the native instagram app for all three ecosystems. You use YouTube as an example??? Google fought tooth and nail to keep any kind of resemblance from being on WP. That's not the design of the app, that's the refusal to work with MS. Yet you can get Office on Apple and Android.

Did you not see the person I replied to use YouTube as his example. He/She also said that the official app lost out on functionality to 3rd party apps. I showed him why it went both ways. Contrary to popular belief, Google does not owe WP an official app for YouTube, Chrome, Maps, Gmail, ect. They also are under no obligation to let a 3rd party develop an app for them. The truth is that worldwide WP is so tiny compared to Android and even iOS that it doesn't even matter. Last year Google activated 1.5 million (every device only counts once) Android devices everyday and by the end of the year had 1 Billion total activations. That number doesn't even include the forked/AOSP version of Android. That means that approximately every 30 or so days Google activates the total number of WPs there are in the entire market. That's not the refusal to work with MS, thats just business.

 

[prasath1234]

Perhaps google might be afraid of windows phone if it get thier apps suddenly windows phone might get market share at a faster rate.it is only apps that is stopping windows phone to go against the big guns.once it catches up with app windows phone will definitely beat android in terms of smoothness nd intuitiveness. :what:

 

[thatdennis]

There are multiple ways to get news so that you can avoid being an ***** who doesn't know what's happening around the world. Relying on only one app to wisen you up is showing how narrow a world view you have....

Clearly you haven't been around WPC enough to know that I have devices in spades on all three OSes.

I was making a point against a particular poster who constantly recommends people to get an iPhone regardless of what the topic is on WPC. If you are having a difficult time understanding sarcasm and reading multiple threads here that this particular poster constantly sings praises for the iPhone than that is your issue....

My comment never claimed WP was superior, perhaps you might want to re-read again to see the sarcasm/humor in it.

That poster does not say that he recommends people to get iPhone. Surprise surprise he supports WP! Now as I said, Flipboard is an essential app for some to look at the news on what they like or general news, which is hard to do unless you want to dig websites or go to google again to search for it. Now did I say that to get news you have to rely on one app? You might misinterpret it.

The sarcasm/humor is not sarcasm at all per say. Saying that Droid is a cheap phone is not sarcasm, it's stating a lie. Accusing of someone else being an Apple ****** when clearly he's not is also a lie. The last one though is sarcasm and is better served for Apple fanboys.

And back to topic, the app gap will lessen though in a few years when WP keeps growing, and to gain profit the devs must make a WP app. By then WP would have matured and be the best OS, lest Android or iOS surprises us with "innovative" technology.

 

[A895]

I like this portion of the post, because it fits your bout of random ill-composed hostility better than it does my post.


I see you've interpreted the mean of my post with the elegance of a stumbling drunk. First off, there's no part of my post where I told people what they should and should not want from their device, nor did I even shun the personal motives of people who just can't live without Candy Crush, Tinder and whatnot. That may be the doing of your own mis-interpretation, but I only presented the case that some think that the WP platform is incapable of things it actually is capable of.

"...we just want our phones to work" also doesn't fit well here because the implication is that our phones don't "just work". I see what you're doing there and that line just didn't accomplish what you wanted it to.

Finally, 3rd party alternatives don't always mean playing "second fiddle" at all. I just gave examples of that when citing functionality that some third party apps have over the *official* version. People hunt for methods and plugins that allow you to download content from Youtube so they can enjoy without the leash of a data connection, same goes for the times someone just wants to listen to something on youtube while they're driving - and want to turn off the screen so they conserve battery while getting what they want. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but the point is that 3rd party doesn't mean they're playing second fiddle at all when you get features not even the official app has.

So if the offical people change apis or ask for the app to be taken down then what? Because we seen this happen with Tinder on WP and it still has not reappeared or when Rudys other apps gets taken down for a while because of api changes. The thing about third party solutions they aren`t a sure thing. With official apps you know they are the real deal and aren`t subject to major changes or can be asked to be taken down.

 

[A895]

6Tag gives you better functionality than the native instagram app for all three ecosystems. You use YouTube as an example??? Google fought tooth and nail to keep any kind of resemblance from being on WP. That's not the design of the app, that's the refusal to work with MS. Yet you can get Office on Apple and Android.

Actually Google wanted the WP app to display ads correctly which it didn`t at the time.

 

[Jack Janik]

Guys this is supposed to be about the app gap, not ******** about google.

 

[MDMcAtee]

What app gap?

Seems to me once all the bs games are removed and other redundant ones off of each os,they are about the same.

There will always be os specific apps and it always seems to me when you hear of the app gap,it's someone coming or going to a different os and can't stand the fact they might not get honey boo boo's app...

Mac

 

[rkarolak]

As someone who's using WP8 primarly after many Android and iPhones I'd say there is fairly good parity, but there are some things that have a disparity if there are certain services or apps you like on iOS/Android that aren't well represented on WP. I've found that Google apps and services in particular are good examples of this. Some apps are also limited in functionality compared to their iOS/Android counterparts as well. Spotify is a good example of this.

With that said, things seem to be getting better all the time on WP8, so I expect that gap to close as time goes on.

 

[A895]

What app gap?

Seems to me once all the bs games are removed and other redundant ones off of each os,they are about the same.

There will always be os specific apps and it always seems to me when you hear of the app gap,it's someone coming or going to a different os and can't stand the fact they might not get honey boo boo's app...

Mac

It is not OS specific apps because believe me iOS does not have any apps that can really change it in any way. It`s the fact apps allows even more functionality an integrate in our current technologically integrated lifestyle. There are a lot of apps that are only on iOS and Android, there is not debating that. It`s the fact that those apps that are cross platform, don`t extend to Windows Phone as well, which creates in essence, an app gap.

 

[MDMcAtee]

It is not OS specific apps because believe me iOS does not have any apps that can really change it in any way. It`s the fact apps allows even more functionality an integrate in our current technologically integrated lifestyle. There are a lot of apps that are only on iOS and Android, there is not debating that. It`s the fact that those apps that are cross platform, don`t extend to Windows Phone as well, which creates in essence, an app gap.

There are some that aren't cross platform and never will be, but most all do have replacements that can be utilized . Most folks go buy the sheer numbers when discussing this so called app fap..and in that if one looks at all duplication of titles,removing all children's games,or apps that serve no purpose for current os's since those functions are available in them,one will see that there really isn't any gap at all.

The disparity I see is in the quality and quantity of music apps,and movie apps and a few social media apps that hasn't been addressed yet (note yet )

Any os be it Microsoft Apple or Google can inundate their respective markets to claim the most,but if one is only interested in numbers to claim victory in this it is a hollow claim at best.



Mac



Sent from my RM-940_nam_att_200 using Tapatalk

 

[A895]

There are some that aren't cross platform and never will be, but most all do have replacements that can be utilized . Most folks go buy the sheer numbers when discussing this so called app fap..and in that if one looks at all duplication of titles,removing all children's games,or apps that serve no purpose for current os's since those functions are available in them,one will see that there really isn't any gap at all.

The disparity I see is in the quality and quantity of music apps,and movie apps and a few social media apps that hasn't been addressed yet (note yet )

Any os be it Microsoft Apple or Google can inundate their respective markets to claim the most,but if one is only interested in numbers to claim victory in this it is a hollow claim at best.



Mac



Sent from my RM-940_nam_att_200 using Tapatalk

It goes beyond movies and music. What about Nest, Uber, Starbucks, Various note taking apps like Simplenote or Todoist to bank apps to credit unions, and local news apps to niche apps like like apps for education from colleges and high schools to new games like Cut The Rope 2 and Don't Tap the White Tiles. There are a lot of apps missing, it depends on the users end needs whether they notice it or not. The it's apps that you do have that are not good like Spotify to the Office Mobile App that needs to be updated. To have a claim for productivity for WP, they are really lacking in productivity apps.

Also, no one claims app numbers anymore, it`s about what apps you actually have not the umber of them because in all app stores across all platforms over half of the apps are crappy or junk.