Here's How We Should Address the App Situation!
***EDIT: I think I know why people had been misreading my post! By "important apps" in the first sentence, I'm not talking about apps that are important to the well-being of BB10, I'm talking about the concept that apps are important to their users because they make the user more productive in a given sutation REGARDLESS OF PLATFORM. I put this post in this particular forum becaus I've seen many recent posts asking why apps are so important because they're just toys and games, etc. I hope that clears things up!***
I'm really confused why the concept of "important apps" escapes people. A well coded app with functionality that is useful in your everyday life simply becomes an extension of your phone. People, including businesspeople contacting clients, use Skype for international communication. Some people only think of Skype as video chat, but it's a lot more than that. I personally use Skype's chat functionality a lot, even more than voice calls/video chat. One time my brother, after moving away from the area, was really homesick. I got on Skype when a bunch of friends were out at happy hour, and even though the bar was loud I was able to pass my phone around and everyone could chat with my brother using text chat.
As for Netflix, say you're at a restaurant with your young kids Bobby and Sue. Bobby wolfs down his food (growing boy, and all), while Sue is taking her time. Bobby starts to get restless while Sue finishes her dinner...and you know you're seconds away from dealing with a tantrum in the crowded restaurant. With Netflix, you can fire up a kids show, plug in headphones, and little Bobby will be entertained while Sue finishes her food. Crisis averted!
Back when I was in grad school, I was using my Sidekick to take notes, create flashcards, edit PowerPoints and Word documents, etc. Sidekicks were pretty bare bones, and everything else I wanted to do was app driven.
I live in Tornado Alley, and in the spring I rely on an accurate, radar map driven, weather app. First app I downloaded on the Z10? BeWeather Pro. That functionality is definitely worth $5 to me. I also use Tune In Radio for NOAA weather during emergencies. Yes, I have these things at home as well, but I'm not always at home when the weather turns nasty so I rely on smartphone apps to keep me safe.
When I'm not dodging tornadoes in the spring and summer, I spend a lot of time walking/biking on area trails and tracking how far I'm going, where trails pick up, etc. I look forward to this every year, and it's a big part of my life in the warmer months. I can only find this functionality via certain apps.
Everyone touts BlackBerry as the best communication device. Shouldn't this include ALL WAYS that people communicate? Heck, BB10 integrates Facebook and Twitter into the hub because BBRY recongizes these services have become important communication tools. Instagram is catching on rapidly as another social media tool, just like Facebook and Twitter. Facebook and Twitter have had their own naysayers in the past ("I don't want to be poked or invited to play stupid games on facebook!" "I don't want to know when people are taking a dump on twitter!"). Doesn't that sound a lot like today's "I don't want to know what people are eating on instagram?" Do you think, maybe, that this notion is wrong kind of like how facebook isn't just for game playing and twitter isn't just for dump broadcasting?
So yes, I do think apps are important. I think people that dismiss apps only think apps = games or novelty time-passers (read: fart apps). I promise you, this is not the case.
For those that have been on other platforms, or for those that know of certain apps they'd love to have on BB10, EMAIL THOSE COMPANIES!!! It doesn't make much of a difference when we just complain here on the forums. Going DIRECTLY to the companies with our requests shows them that the need for their apps is there, and that their apps on BB10 would be utilized, and in some cases purchased.