[timmy t]

I have a question. As an older guy, I am not that interested in all of the apps available.
I like Slacker Radio and the weather app that comes with the Playbook. I like the email app and the browser. I can see some form of IM app, like BBM or another variant. Yes, some games are fun for a while but I'm really not that interested in that.
What percentage of smartphone users are like me and don't really have that great an interest in apps?
Is the whole apps thing being overblown because the tech writers are emotionally stunted individuals who want to sit in their parents' basements playing games on their smartphones and tablets?
If 40% or 50% of the population is like me, a mature individual, then they will consider the BB10 as an equal to the Android phones or the iPhone based on its UI and general usability and not how many apps are available.
So the question is - what percentage of the population doesn't really care about all of those apps?
I'm guessing 30% - 50%.

[RoseBud68]

I have a question. As an older guy, I am not that interested in all of the apps available.

So the question is - what percentage of the population doesn't really care about all of those apps?
I'm guessing 30% - 50%.

Judging by the amount of iPhone & Android are selling it seems that there a lot more folks that love apps.

[tchocky77]

Since it's applications that make a smartphone smart, I reckon that's why people buy them (in the case of iOS/ Android) or don't (BlackBerry.)

[blackberry_lover_forever]

Tchoky77 : I don't think a smartphones is all/mostly about apps. For me, it is more about functionality and the way it allows users to quickly or better manage stuff he was already doing. I'm just 22 years old, but just like the OP, I don't understand this absolute need of apps. Except twitter/Facebook, I deleted one by one all apps I previously installed : it was just struggling my RAM without providing me a significant advantage on any plan. RoseBud68 : Iphones and androids' sales don't necessarily repr�sent the majority taste/will for apps. My sister and my girlfriend recently bought Iphones. Both are down-to-earth regarding to phone utilities, coming from dumbphones. Both hardly imagine themselves browsing on a phone display, no matter if it is a 2.8" (like my bold) or 3.5" (Iphone). And they don't matter about apps and pictures. So why purchase devices like an Iphone. They gave me mostly the same responses : everybody have one, so it should be a good product. My point is not arguing others smartphones are Isheep or morons, but just that many of them get into the "app-ship" cause it's'a wave, a 2012 standard, regardles theirs needs or their interests. That and people buying a smartphone to give a sens� at their life, looking in appstores tons of colourful and entertaining ways to fullfil their days... But I could be wrong and underestimate the app' potential. Am I really missing something to staying straight on stuff I need to do with my smartphones and keep Funny/lazy times for tablets and TV ?

[jeroen_13]

i often play Modern Combat or Asphalt 6, but thats all. i just use my playbook to browse the web / check twitter / facebook

[sleepngbear]

I'm not a huge app user. The only 3rd-party app I really use regularly is BeWeather. I occasionally use Facebook, and I might use ScoreMobile when I'm out and want to check up on a few sports scores, but that is very infrequent. I do use many of the apps that come installed on the 9900 (browser, email, BBM, calendar, contacts); but other than that, I have very few apps installed on my phone.

I do, however, get annoyed from time to time when there are business-specific apps that are only available for iPhone or Android. My bank, for example, has a mobile app for those two only. It isn't something I'd use every day, but there are times when it would be convenient, and I do feel slighted for being left out because I don't use one of only two OS's that someone arbitrarily decides are the only ones worth writing an app for. Fortunately, at least where my bank is concerned, I can log on to its Web page with the phone's browser if I really need to, which BB7 now handles just fine. But there are times when I see company ads touting an app 'for your iPhone or Android' that make me want to throw something through my TV. But then there's no shortage of other ads that make me want to do that these days.

[Tre Lawrence]

I know it is trendy to make fun of writers, but do not forget that they are consumers first.

I like the extra functionality a healthy application environment affords me. I made use of apps when BB was my daily driver, and I do now. Well picked apps increase my productivity and make my phone more of an all-in-one hub.

It's myopic to assume that apps are all for play, or that people who do play on their phones are lazy.

If we must stereotype, one could say that BB users, by default, are okay without an abundance of applications, as Tchocky77 already alluded to.

[cgk]

So what if they never use an app? People don't buy phones based on what they will actually do, they buy them on what they think they might do - if you don't have "WOWware" on the devices in the store for the 15 minutes when they play with the phones then you are at a disadvantage to the competition.

I doubt many phones have been sold on the basis of the PIM or email clients "Oh man, that email client ROCKS!".

[dtango]

Apps aren't only games you know. Give me one good reason why its not convenient to have something like Sky+, Facebook Messenger, Evernote or Shazam etc etc. Its very naive to think apps are just games for basement dwellers.

[West Coast Flavor]

Applications are huge. Especially Instagram. Applications aren't just games, or social networking extensions. Some of my favorites are..

PowerAmp
Flip Board
Instagram
YouTube
Espn Radio

[mikeo007]

Apps are so important because they offer content in bite sized chunks. The user doesn't have to worry about navigation or other content competing for their attention. Here's an interesting way to look at the app situation: for people who check the weather on your Playbook, how many of you just tap the app and quickly check out the forecast? Conversely, how many of you open a weather website using your browser? Unless people actually prefer a certain forecast that doesn't offer a dedicated app, I'm willing to bet they use a weather app. If for no other reason than simple convenience.

[BlackBerry Guy]

App ecosystem is now a selling point. It's not really about app usage, but rather potential for app usage. For most, it's better to know it's available if you need it, rather than to have no option at all.

Sort of like cars. For most every day practical commuting purposes, do we really need that 275 horsepower luxury sedan with 10 speakers and all the bells and whistles? Probably not. But we may buy it anyway because of it's spec sheet and features...even though they're not things we may use fully.

[Tre Lawrence]

Flipboard is pretty neat.

[timmy t]

Just to clarify things, I am not saying these apps are not useful but many of us would be happy with the phones with very few of the apps except the ones I mentioned.
We sit at computers all day and have them at home too so we can get a lot of this on them.
I am just saying, I can't be the only one who has just a small core of apps I want on the phone or tablet.

[Tre Lawrence]

Just to clarify things, I am not saying these apps are not useful but many of us would be happy with the phones with very few of the apps except the ones I mentioned.
We sit at computers all day and have them at home too so we can get a lot of this on them.
I am just saying, I can't be the only one who has just a small core of apps I want on the phone or tablet.

Nothing wrong with that all.

My phone greatly cuts down on the time I am in front of a computer at work and at home too though.

[Laura Knotek]

The apps I use the most are:

• Amazon Kindle
• Board Express Pro (Tapatalk client)
• ESPN Scorecenter
• Football Pro '13
• Fox News
• Full House Poker
• Grapher Calculator
• iHeartRadio
• last.fm
• Netflix
• Nokia Maps
• Microsoft Office
• Reader2Go (Google Reader RSS feed app)
• rowi (Twitter client)
• SkyDrive
• TuneInRadio
• Weather Channel
• WhatsApp
• YouTube

[timmy t]

OK, but do people like me number in the 10% range or 30% range or what?
That is what I am looking for, an estimate of how many people don't care that there are a lot less apps on the Blackberry ecosystem.
Consider your father with a smartphone or your boss. Your next door neighbour. What are the estimates?

[BlackBerry Guy]

Well, for my 60 something dad, he loves having the use of apps. A lot easier for him to read his news, listen to music, or play games than accessing through a browser.

[mikeo007]

OK, but do people like me number in the 10% range or 30% range or what?
That is what I am looking for, an estimate of how many people don't care that there are a lot less apps on the Blackberry ecosystem.
Consider your father with a smartphone or your boss. Your next door neighbour. What are the estimates?

Judging by the replies in this thread and a broad look at these forums in general, you are in a very small minority. It's impossible to put an accurate percentage on how many people don't care about apps at all, but if I had to guess, I would say that it's less than 1/100. People like apps. It's not a fad, it's not a marketing ploy, it just IS.

[GingerSnapsBack]

Just to clarify things, I am not saying these apps are not useful but many of us would be happy with the phones with very few of the apps except the ones I mentioned.
We sit at computers all day and have them at home too so we can get a lot of this on them.
I am just saying, I can't be the only one who has just a small core of apps I want on the phone or tablet.

Not all of us have computers at home. I don't.

OK, but do people like me number in the 10% range or 30% range or what?
That is what I am looking for, an estimate of how many people don't care that there are a lot less apps on the Blackberry ecosystem.
Consider your father with a smartphone or your boss. Your next door neighbour. What are the estimates?

I'd go out on a limb and say that's part of the reason RIM is losing customers is due to the lack of apps. Most people are migrating away from RIM/BB because of that reason. That was my reason for adding the iPhone to my lineup. The apps I use at work daily are on iOS only - not BB - and the IT department at work quit supporting BB for email around Halloween of last year due to the decline in usage.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't care that BB has the app library that it has, but I'm also sure there are plenty more that do.

[jax5]

some points to consider:

there are 2 predominant reasons why people in the uk have a BB.
1. provided by work
2. BBM

BBM itself is an app and is probably the major reason why a lot of students have a BB and BB sales are quite good in the UK.

plus we brits pay �5 per month for this app!

for those who don't use apps why don't they stick to "dumbphones" coz maybe they're not as cool as smartphones.

the major selling point for ios is the app catalogue and it is always a major point of comparon in reviews.

tapatalk app

[sleepngbear]

Nothing wrong with that all.

My phone greatly cuts down on the time I am in front of a computer at work and at home too though.

This is a great point. I'd argue that we'll never fully replace the desktop/laptop experience with mobile devices. But the growing capabilities of mobile devices -- due in no small part to diverse selection of apps -- has made us less slaves to the desktop for more computing needs. I'm one of those who still prefers to do more of those things with a large screen and big keyboard, although I like the option of having some of that capability within arms reach at all times. I think some users are the exact opposite and prefer to do more of that stuff on the go and resort to a desktop only when absolutely necessary. Of course there's a huge gray area in between; but in that fundamental difference in preferences lies the difference between the app-hungry and the app-athetic among us.

There, I just made up a new word.

[Darlaten]

I'd go out on a limb and say that's part of the reason RIM is losing customers is due to the lack of apps. Most people are migrating away from RIM/BB because of that reason. That was my reason for adding the iPhone to my lineup. The apps I use at work daily are on iOS only - not BB - and the IT department at work quit supporting BB for email around Halloween of last year due to the decline in usage.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't care that BB has the app library that it has, but I'm also sure there are plenty more that do.

I'm more forceful than you in that I'd argue that the lack of apps are the sole reason why RIM has lost customers. I say this because as a phone and PIM device, Blackberry is efficient and handles these aspects quite well. So what else is there that people are needing from their phones? Security? Blackberry has that too. The only thing that it doesn't have is an app ecosystem.

I think this has been, and arguably still is, RIM's Achilles heel; and it will prove to be their make or break point when it comes to BB10 depending on what has been happening and will happen when BB10 is launched.

But judging by the comments that I hear from college students where I work and from the public on tech-talk radio shows, cafeterias, lineups, etc, RIM will face an uphill climb trying to convince people that they have an app ecosystem. For example, these are the most common responses that I hear people say:

Q: Are their apps and games on a Blackberry phone?
A: No.

Q: What are Blackberry phones good for?
A: Making phone calls, text messaging, writing email, blackberry messenger, calendar.

Q: Why wouldn't you use a Blackberry phone?
A: Because I want a phone that does more than text messaging and email.

It's the last answer that is going to be the biggest hurdle for RIM to overcome; namely, convincing the public that Blackberry, in addition to excelling at communications, also excels at providing a robust, vibrant, and in-demand app ecosystem.

[hurds]

Great post OP. Looks like you got a lot of replies from the app-loving contingent but not many answering your question. I like how people equate sales directly to apps, like tis that simple. The fact that pratically 9/10 phones at carriers run android or the fact that apple is very popular right now among many other varibles has nothing to do with it? If I take a look at the people around me to answer your question, I could easily say 50% of the people around me don't care about apps. Even the ones that do care only care about a select few of apps, like angry birds for their kids, or youtube or maps. I can't think of a person I know either than me thats interested in the more obscure apps.

If you talk to the people here they are more than likely going to drastically overstate the importance of apps but thats just the nature of these forums. A lot of app fanatics but they are a small subset of users.

[varunsain]

Apps is a very subjective topic.. Like yourself, OP I do not rely much on applications.. They do help me entertain myself here and there.. but it's just a phone.. I don't get much beyond doing the few things that I have time for..