[3_M4N]

It would be interesting to know how many apps on other platforms have "little to no utility". Are there other mega developers that crank out high volumes of apps on other platforms in a similar manner? I think it's humorous that the media was always breaking BB's balls because they didn't have the same amount of apps as other platforms, but now as there are waaay more apps than any of them ever thought would be in BlackBerry World, they start scrutinizing where they're coming from and their "utility". I'm not saying we should fill up BlackBerry World with ****e apps, but why no comments about the great quality apps, the built for BlackBerry program, or how are native apps are differentiated by the way you navigate them and their use of Cascades? A less informed person would read similar articles and come to the conclusion that ALL apps on our platform are worthless, rather than that our platform has apps that aren't useful, just like EVERY platform out there. Example of an awesome quality app that was recently released, ARKick http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...tent/33981891? Where are the articles highlighting apps like this that are awesome and useful and for the moment only available in BlackBerry World?

Posted while peeking and flowing on my incredible BBQ10!

[Superfly_FR]

@3_M4N
I believe something like 80%* of apps in appl store are downloaded less than 3 times (edited) per month (eq. Dev, mother and best friend = 0). Somehow an answer.

* as I cannot find the source as I'm typing this, please add as much salt you want.

Posted via CB10

[Gesig Boek]

@3_M4N
I believe something like 80%* of apps in appl store are downloaded less than 3 times (eq. Dev, mother and best friend = 0). Somehow an answer.

* as I cannot find the source as I'm typing this, please add as much salt you want.

Posted via CB10

Unless the app is only 3 months old that stat is very wrong.

Apple said:

Ninety percent of all 700,000 applications in Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store are downloaded at least once every month, CEO Tim Cook revealed at today's iPhone 5 launch event in San Francisco.

Apple: 90% of all iOS apps downloaded at least once per month - FierceMobileContent

Its of note that Google Play's policies are explicitly against spamming:

Developers are important partners in maintaining a great user experience on Google Play.
Do not post repetitive content.
Apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service must not be submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons.
Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to:
Provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)

This contrasts with BB's explicit approval of S4BB's 47000 apps.

“Developers in all app stores employ a number of different monetization tactics. BlackBerry World is an open market for developers and we let market forces dictate the success or failure of these tactics.”

When Google did some house cleaning in April this year they only removed 60,000 apps, or less than 10% of the store, mainly in the ringtone category. If BB did the same kind of house cleaning they would lose 50-70% of the store.

[notfanboy]

@3_M4N
I believe something like 80%* of apps in appl store are downloaded less than 3 times (eq. Dev, mother and best friend = 0). Somehow an answer.

* as I cannot find the source as I'm typing this, please add as much salt you want.

Has everyone played the game "telephone"? It's interesting how stories get repeated, distorted, and repeated again until they barely resemble the original.

It was a company called apptrace.com that originally wrote a blog saying that 1/3 of all App Store apps are zombie apps. The story got a lot of traction (spread by Apple "shorts" for sure) but they also got a lot of criticism for their sensationalist headline. In reaction, they explained their methodology in this blog posting . Here is an excerpt from that blog.

Although, in theory app zombies can still be downloaded, we concluded that an average zombie is getting zero to ten downloads a day, depending on the country.

Read their blog. The fact is, they don't really know. They don't have access to the actual download numbers and are just guessing. They are basing it on Apple's own ranking system, and they define an app zombie as apps not having a ranking. The App store has a very long tail and what's happening here is that Apple decided that below a certain download amount, ranking doesn't provide any value. I would place this story in the rubbish along with the Gadget Masters junk.

[cjcampbell]

And a little Sunday morning blues for CJ:




Posted via CB10

haha.. Thanks.. this one seems a little more fitting though....

[peter9477]

Unless the app is only 3 months old that stat is very wrong.

Seriously, you're debating whether "80% are downloaded only 3 times" is so very, very wrong and different than "90% downloaded at least once a month"?

To me, both stats say "wow, many apps are seen by almost no one".

If most Apple apps are actually downloaded any reasonable amount, one wouldn't publicly state only that most get "at least once a month". Sheesh.

Face it, there's a huge curve in all app stores, where a tiny fraction of the total apps are downloaded often, a larger but still small portion are downloaded in lowish numbers fairly consistently, there's a massively long tail where apps are downloaded at best infrequently, right down to a sizable percentage (apparently 10% in Apple's case) which are never downloaded at all.

[notfanboy]

We can't deny shorts have been more accurate and performed better than us "static" longs.
But I believe we can discuss both the reasons they've decided to short and the spiral effect.
There's something in BlackBerry timing that is wrong: as in chess game, shorts have been playing at least 1 shot in advance.

In chess and in the stock market, you'd be killed if you were playing one move behind or one quarter behind.

If you look at it closely, their arguments are proven false... but 1 E.R later.

I'm not seeing it, perhaps you can elaborate? In any event, do you really think the shorts will be proven false with the next earnings report? Is there anyone on this board who is looking forward to the next earnings report?

[Gesig Boek]

Seriously, you're debating whether "80% are downloaded only 3 times" is so very, very wrong and different than "90% downloaded at least once a month"?

To me, both stats say "wow, many apps are seen by almost no one".

If most Apple apps are actually downloaded any reasonable amount, one wouldn't publicly state only that most get "at least once a month". Sheesh.

Face it, there's a huge curve in all app stores, where a tiny fraction of the total apps are downloaded often, a larger but still small portion are downloaded in lowish numbers fairly consistently, there's a massively long tail where apps are downloaded at best infrequently, right down to a sizable percentage (apparently 10% in Apple's case) which are never downloaded at all.

There is a massive difference in the curve between 80% downloaded only 3 times and 90% downloaded once per month e.g

What if I said 80% of people only have sex 3 times in their lives vs 90% of people have sex at least once a month. See - massive difference, and one would actually describe reality.

[Shanerredflag]

haha.. Thanks.. this one seems a little more fitting though....

Haha...glad you made it out unscathed.

Posted via CB10

[cjcampbell]

Haha...glad you made it out unscathed.

Posted via CB10

Who said anything about unscathed... lol

[peter9477]

There is a massive difference in the curve between 80% downloaded only 3 times and 90% downloaded once per month e.g

What if I said 80% of people only have sex 3 times in their lives vs 90% of people have sex at least once a month. See - massive difference, and one would actually describe reality.

Nope, you're trying too hard at this.

The app stores haven't existed for as long as most people's sex lives. If you said 80% of people had sex only three times in the last 3 years (or whatever), it's a whole lot different than if we're talking about an actual lifetime.

Anyway, if you don't accept the point, that's fine. Others can see both sides and will choose which is more reasonable to them.

I think you're the guy who insisted that the GlobalCounter stats stuff (or whatever) could ONLY be the result of malicious intent, and defied all arguments I made to point out other possibilities, such as a change in user agents or other such things that weren't deliberate. How did that one ultimately turn out again?

[cgk]

Isn't the wider problem not the raw number of apps but what it indicates about developer interest? if something like 61% of your apps is from ten developers that would seem to be a problem.

[Shanerredflag]

Isn't the wider problem not the raw number of apps but what it indicates about developer interest? if something like 61% of your apps is from ten developers that would seem to be a problem.

Where did that number come from?

Posted via CB10

[Gesig Boek]

I think you're the guy who insisted that the GlobalCounter stats stuff (or whatever) could ONLY be the result of malicious intent, and defied all arguments I made to point out other possibilities, such as a change in user agents or other such things that weren't deliberate. How did that one ultimately turn out again?

I think I was the closest to being right in the end. The Statcounter stuff was due to an error on statcounter's part, and certainly did not reflect any increase in BB's sales numbers.

[cgk]

Where did that number come from?

Posted via CB10

The numbers: The BlackBerry World and S4BB � Thoughts Serializer

you can total it from his chart, Tony did the legwork.

[cjcampbell]

I think I was the closest to being right in the end. The Statcounter stuff was due to an error on statcounter's part, and certainly did not reflect any increase in BB's sales numbers.

Actually, although lack lustre by many standards, there was an increase in sales last quarter.

"Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 was $3.1 billion, up 15% from $2.7 billion in the previous quarter and up 9% from $2.8 billion in the same quarter of fiscal 2013."

[notfanboy]

Where did that number come from?

Posted via CB10

From here:
The numbers: The BlackBerry World and S4BB � Thoughts Serializer

The top ten developers had 73,000 apps among them. Total number of BB10 apps was assumed to be 120000.

[Shanerredflag]

Let's look at the map apps...specific for each city/ area of interest...not defending but to lump them into your "crumbling" pile is not appropriate.

Posted via CB10

[carbon fibre]

Let's look at the map apps...specific for each city/ area of interest...not defending but to lump them into your "crumbling" pile is not appropriate.

Posted via CB10

Let's say you wanted to go to some random city. Eg Cordenons Italy:
-Type the name into Google Maps on either of the 2 dominant platforms. Up it pops. Zoom to exactly the area you want. Select "Make this map area available offline." Response is "the on-screen area of the map has been cached." When you get there your GPS will allow you to navigate around the saved city without an internet connection.
-Search Cordenons in wikipedia. Save to your browser reading list.

You now have more utility (real time nav) than these one city apps.

Including these one (poorly done) trick ponies in the "crumbling pile" is perfectly appropriate.

[notfanboy]

Let's say you wanted to go to some random city. Eg Cordenons Italy:
-Type the name into Google Maps on either of the 2 dominant platforms. Up it pops. Zoom to exactly the area you want. Select "Make this map area available offline." Response is "the on-screen area of the map has been cached." When you get there your GPS will allow you to navigate around the saved city without an internet connection.
-Search Cordenons in wikipedia. Save to your browser reading list.

That's exactly what I do when traveling to an unfamiliar city. If I'll be there long enough, I'll pop in a prepaid Sim card and wouldn't even bother.

The book apps are more annoying though.

[abouthsu]

Yawn, apps talk again. I don't doubt anything like apps availability would have an affect on what phone people buy. I do think we are at a point of closer to peak of the mobile era where users stuck with an ecosystem for the last century and it is not easy to convince anyone to move to another platform. Marketing will do that though with the right message and features. Peak, hub and flow will always bring back business and tech savvy users. These general audience that have no clue how to even turn on a PC will not care. Adoption and culture change takes time and I mean a long time but IMHO, I feel BBRY is heading the right direction and they need to focus on software and let others take care the hardware and penetrate cross platform development. XBBM is the first set of the key and I do hope they use it wisely.

[cgk]

Peak, hub and flow will always bring back business and tech savvy users.

when?

[Shanerredflag]

Then we can disagree...Most folks will either do a sim card swap to have live map or...buy a map, maybe a map app. I agree it's amazing what these devices are capable of but the fact is most folks won't use nor will ever understand the entirety of what is possible with one. I wish Google would support BB10...it is a great map expieriance. I have come to like BB10 maps too...works great but does not yet have that level of functionality.

Posted via CB10

[Shanerredflag]

when?

When people stop bashing and try it?

Posted via CB10

[cgk]

When people stop bashing and try it?

Posted via CB10

So you agree with me that people aren't trying it and sales will remain poor? Well so we do agree on something then!