[stardust2013]

BlackBerry boasts the fact that there are 120,000 apps for its users to download. What the troubled company doesn't tell you is that most of them -- even the popular apps -- are awful.

The sorry state of the BlackBerry App World is one of the primary contributing factors to BlackBerry's (BBRY) rapid demise. The company announced Monday that it plans to go private in a $4.7 billion deal that essentially places no value on BlackBerry's core handset business.

BlackBerry's new hardware has gotten some good reviews, but software is another story. Many of the most popular apps on the iPhone and Android are nowhere to be found. There's no Instagram, Netflix (NFLX), Candy Crush or Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) Maps. Many of the big-brand apps that do exist for BlackBerry, including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, are infrequently updated and have received dismal reviews from users.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry news site BerryReview revealed last month that a single developer is responsible for 48,000, or 40%, of BlackBerry's apps. Some of those apps developed by Hong Kong outfit S4BB many seem legit and functional. But many of them are either generic clones of other apps or possess minimal usefulness.

For example, one app made by S4BB is a "camera scanner" that converts photos to PDF files. Another turns off the sounds in your camera app. There are also hundreds of world factbooks, subway maps and city guides.

So it's not just that most of BlackBerry's apps are bad -- the majority of million-or-so apps in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store are also terrible. What makes BlackBerry's app situation so devastating is that the company exercises no control over its own app store.

BlackBerry is also rapidly losing subscribers, so big app makers don't want to devote resources to a vanishing platform. But BlackBerry also gives free rein to small developers to fill its app store with spam apps.

Although the open-ended strategy may be mildly beneficial to BlackBerry and a few ambitious developers in the short term, encouraging such a large ratio of garbage apps to quality apps poses consequences in the long run: Smaller developers don't want to invest in BlackBerry, because it it's hard for consumers to stumble upon their apps in a diluted pool.

It's no coincidence that the major mobile platforms don't let that kind of activity fly inside their app stores.

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), whose stringent app approval process often errs on the conservative side, has all but made it impossible for app spammers to exist on a ridiculous scale.

Even Google, a company that preaches openness for its Android mobile platform, imposes limits on app spam. While it does not prevent anyone from downloading and installing apps outside its app store, Google frowns upon apps delivering repetitive content in its Play Store. Google requires developers to individually submit each app for approval, which works as a deterrent towards app spam.

BlackBerry thought it could attract users by giving Android developers the ability to quickly port their existing apps to the BlackBerry 10 platform. But many of those apps were still garbage ones, and the ones that were decent still provided an inferior experience.

BlackBerry can produce all of the nicest phones in the world if it wants, but the low standards it has for the apps in its app store, and the seemingly minimal effort it has put into trying to improve it, ultimately contributed to the once-venerable company's demise.



What killed BlackBerry: Terrible apps - Sep. 25, 2013

[ADGrant]

A "camera scanner" that can produce quality PDFs is extremely useful. It one of the few apps on my iPhone I had to pay for.

[kbz1960]

What's with the (Fortune 500)?

[cjcampbell]

This part makes me wonder if the author knows what he's talking about. lol

"Even Google, a company that preaches openness for its Android mobile platform, imposes limits on app spam. While it does not prevent anyone from downloading and installing apps outside its app store, Google frowns upon apps delivering repetitive content in its Play Store. Google requires developers to individually submit each app for approval, which works as a deterrent towards app spam."

[JasW]

A "camera scanner" that can produce quality PDFs is extremely useful. It one of the few apps on my iPhone I had to pay for.

There are a bunch of free ones on Google Play. In any event, the premise of the piece is valid. It wasn't the airplanes.

[ADGrant]

There are a bunch of free ones on Google Play. In any event, the premise of the piece is valid. It wasn't the airplanes.

I am sure there are on the Apple App store too but there is a wide variation in the quality of camera based scanning software.

[mikeo007]

This part makes me wonder if the author knows what he's talking about. lol

"Even Google, a company that preaches openness for its Android mobile platform, imposes limits on app spam. While it does not prevent anyone from downloading and installing apps outside its app store, Google frowns upon apps delivering repetitive content in its Play Store. Google requires developers to individually submit each app for approval, which works as a deterrent towards app spam."

Those apps seem to be gone now. S4BB's garbage still plagues BB World and the numbers continue to grow. One company is clearly doing SOMETHING about the spam problem, even if it's more reactive than proactive.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

Those apps seem to be gone now. S4BB's garbage still plagues BB World and the numbers continue to grow. One company is clearly doing SOMETHING about the shave posted. pam problem, even if it's more reactive than proactive.

I'm very interested in the interview Simon Sage is going to be doing with S4BB. I wonder what their take is on the masses of e-books and web page links they have posted and if they feel it is all warranted.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I'm very interested in the interview Simon Sage is going to be doing with S4BB. I wonder what their take is on the masses of e-books and web page links they have posted and if they feel it is all warranted.

And the fact is many of the apps we do have do not compare to the quality of some apps on other platforms. I've seen some pretty amazing kids learning games on the iPad. On my PlayBook I have paid for several that are very dated in comparison - basic graphics, very little in the way of transitions....

And too be honest, I don't think Andorid really has anything near the quality of the apps that are being build for iOS.... but I don't own either device, so I'm just going on what I have seen in BB World and on friends devices.

[Tre Lawrence]

And the fact is many of the apps we do have do not compare to the quality of some apps on other platforms. I've seen some pretty amazing kids learning games on the iPad. On my PlayBook I have paid for several that are very dated in comparison - basic graphics, very little in the way of transitions....

And too be honest, I don't think Andorid really has anything near the quality of the apps that are being build for iOS.... but I don't own either device, so I'm just going on what I have seen in BB World and on friends devices.

Android is catching up. I'm in the position to compare both platforms extensively, and developers are beginning to bring their Android apps up to par with the quality of iOS apps.

But I'd still give iOS apps the overall edge.

[m osnato12]

If they actually sell the fact that android apps work on BlackBerry 10 and make it easier to obtain them..... and make their Android emulator better, then they'd have a tiny better shot because that opens up a whole new world of apps along with their BlackBerry apps

Posted via CB10

[ADGrant]

If they actually sell the fact that android apps work on BlackBerry 10 and make it easier to obtain them..... and make their Android emulator better, then they'd have a tiny better shot because that opens up a whole new world of apps along with their BlackBerry apps

Posted via CB10

If someone wants to run Android apps why wouldn't they just buy an Android phone.

[Bieberwaterloo]

And the fact is many of the apps we do have do not compare to the quality of some apps on other platforms. I've seen some pretty amazing kids learning games on the iPad. On my PlayBook I have paid for several that are very dated in comparison - basic graphics, very little in the way of transitions....

And too be honest, I don't think Andorid really has anything near the quality of the apps that are being build for iOS.... but I don't own either device, so I'm just going on what I have seen in BB World and on friends devices.

finally someone who understand. Its all about the apps that counts! Remember back then when facebook app on ios was pretty slick user interface compare to android, then android play catch up on user interface so did facebook, it took facebook app on android a year just to make it user interface as slick as ios app.
Other example might be the Path app, the difference in android & ios is that it is still pretty slick on iOS than android, even the feature on android is less than iOs , is that you cant record video on Path for android. Nuff said.

[Admorris]

If someone wants to run Android apps why wouldn't they just buy an Android phone.

EXACTLY!...I was saying long ago that using android runtime was going to prove to be q massive mistake. It encourages half *** apps and lazy devs. Everyone blasted me as a troll etc. Oh well...proof is in the pudding

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