New strategy needed to get apps on the PlayBook

I've had my PlayBook for a week now and I love it. I knew buying it that thet selection of applications in App World would be its weakness but it is even worse than I thought.

I think from now on (and for the release of the first QNX phone) RIM needs a completely different strategy to get applications on the PlayBook. Clearly the current strategy has failed. Before someone says we don't need hundreds of fart apps, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking popular apps that make or break a platform.

To RIM: Stop wasting money giving PlayBooks to people who attend conferences or to those who develop useless apps and games rated one star in App World. Instead, spend the money to make sure the major apps and games are available for the PlayBook. Finance their creation if you have to.

RIM has three billion dollars in the bank. It needs to take some of that (and the money saved by not giving away PlayBooks to developers who don't deserve them) and finance the creation of full-featured, top quality applications like:

Skype, Kindle, Zinio, Netflix, Twitter, Adobe PDF Reader (a good one, not the lame-*** version we have now). A couple of cool games like Angry Birds. A few popular utilities like DropBox, EverNote, KeyPass, etc. Look at the versions of these apps available on iOS and don't settle for anything less.

It's pretty obvious that many of the major developers have little to no interest in creating apps for the PlayBook. I have contacted a few myself and they're taking a wait and see approach. If you don't do anything about it, it just won't happen. You have three billion dollars in the bank and a whole bunch of unhappy customers. Do something about it.

Yep they need to pay developers or work with the companies that own those titles now and offer to develop the apps for them, like they developed the facebook app. That's only one of about 10 to 20 that they need to make the platform more desirable.

You make a salient point. If RIM incentivizes a few large developers to get on board that makes a big difference and might be just the thing to get some smaller developers to have confidence in the platform also.

Got my playbook today fully aware of the app limitations. That said, part of my finally buying ine was a calculated risk on my part (as a consumer) that RIM is going to support the platform more in the future. It does seem that they will.

If there was one single app that RIM could bet the farm on that would make a huge difference, I think it would be Netflix. It would vault the playbook forward as almost nothing else could. And it opens the playbook up as an option to millions of netflix users.

A suite of enterprise apps would also be a tremendous benefit for overall sales, as gov't certification opens an incredible short-term window for the Playbook to really find a niche.

I do think some of these things will be forthcoming, first will be the basic apps (email, PIM). But RIM does have the resources to really back the platform with some strong flagship apps.

Another benefit I don't see discussed on here: apps ported to playbook will be very easy to launch on the QNX phones when they come out next year.

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....sell more playbooks. but that isnt going to happen as this was released during RIMs short ride to the bottom and few back a losing horse. windows phone 7 just got plants vs zombies and angrybirds and they are selling more handsets them RIM is PlayBooks.

we wont get good apps for a while. RIM has to come up with a compelling reason for someone to buy their tablet. They havent yet. i dont like their chances of doing so.

The radio version is not out yet, could be a good sell.
1 million unit sold is agood number for 2011 to get developers in.

Yawnnnnz:-) :-) :-)

Originally Posted by csTX

Another benefit I don't see discussed on here: apps ported to playbook will be very easy to launch on the QNX phones when they come out next year.

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On the surface, you comment is correct. But so far RIM has provided only one development platform for PB - AIR. They have promised NDK for the future and will maybe have a Java player. A leaked version of the Android player is now available for the brave hearts who are willing to load beta-quality software onto their devices. But developers still do not know enough about the players to work these tools into their marketing strategies.

Because of the uncertainty, independent developers have not and will not be submitting "real" apps to App World. As I see it, here are some reasons why more apps aren't availabe in App World:
1. Many of the most popular apps are substitutes for "missing" native functionality (eg file browsers). Sensible developers will take advantage of this vacuum but they also realize that RIM may eventually get off their buts and make current offerings obsolete. Also see point 6 below.
2. AIR has no API's for Bluetooth, USB host, Gyroscope, and Magnetometer. Poynt uses Bluetooth interacts with RIM's API's on the smartphone, but I will not be able to write a similar app until the NDK is released. My own app desperately needs to use the magnetic compass. Android apps running in the current player can use the compass but my app cannot. I may have to re-write my app using NDK to make it fully competitive with similar Android apps. Also see point 4.
4. RIM has thrown Java developers under the bus. Porting apps to AIR is not a trivial matter and is unwise at this time (see point 2). Porting to NDK is not a trivial matter and is not even possible at this time. Java apps running in the player are likely to be second-class citizens in the QNX ecosystem and a JDK may never be available on QNX platforms.
5. The Android player is an unknown quantity. Will Android app be treated as full citizens on PB? Will it be possible to write "real" app targeting Android and simply repackage it for the PB? Most developers are in wait-and-see mode.
6. This item is a re-iteration of the chicken-and-egg conundrum. Not enough PlayBooks have been sold so sales are extremely poor. More PlayBooks will be sold only if RIM can attract the major developers (Netflix). Big developers are not interested because the PB user base is so small compared to the greener pastures. Independent developers stay on the sidelines because they know that only time will fix this problem and RIM may or may not have sufficient time before it goes bust.

Originally Posted by BuzzStarField

4. RIM has thrown Java developers under the bus. Porting apps to AIR is not a trivial matter and is unwise at this time (see point 2). Porting to NDK is not a trivial matter and is not even possible at this time. Java apps running in the player are likely to be second-class citizens in the QNX ecosystem and a JDK may never be available on QNX platforms.

Certicom has a Security Builder Java Module in process right now with NIST. This is the same company that just just got the C language toolkit for QNX Neutrino through the same day the Playbook was certified. My guess is that you won't see a JDK for the Playbook until this is approved, but that one is definitely coming and we won't see the Java player till this thing is approved either. I'm starting to wonder if RIM's plan is to release on NDK now that will cover everything and be able to be FIPS approved.

Originally Posted by lnichols

Certicom has a Security Builder Java Module in process right now with NIST. This is the same company that just just got the C language toolkit for QNX Neutrino through the same day the Playbook was certified. My guess is that you won't see a JDK for the Playbook until this is approved, but that one is definitely coming and we won't see the Java player till this thing is approved either. I'm starting to wonder if RIM's plan is to release on NDK now that will cover everything and be able to be FIPS approved.

This is good information but the point of my post is that RIM has done a very poor job of supporting its Java programmers. Those, like me, who have taken their bait and developed an app for AIR do not yet have a complete tool set.

By adopting AIR early on, some of us believe that RIM tricked us into thinking that AIR was to be a fully-supported platform and not just some ploy to attract a flock of Flash developers to inflate the app-count at launch.

I am not one of those who think this way, but by running off in all directions with piecemeal announcements, RIM has given us nothing that helps us plan a migration path to whatever the future holds for QNX. We need more than rumours and speculation - we need facts and information.

The lack of good information is the main cause of app-deficit in App World. Even with today's dismal sales, I could be convinced to submit more apps if there was some hope for improvement in the future.

Most of us are sitting on our hands until RIM has the good sense to release a comprehensive road map that gets us from where we are now to the brave new world of QNX. We are frustrated because there is a very good chance that any work we do now will be rendered obsolete by tomorrow's announcement. As evidence, I present the Android player! How does this impact me?... I have no idea. The tragedy is that RIM may have no idea either.

Where can I email your comment to RIM? Or have you and other developers all ready brought this up to them?

Originally Posted by kbz1960

Where can I email your comment to RIM? Or have you and other developers all ready brought this up to them?

We have discussed this problem ad infinitum on the RIM development forum. To tell the truth, I think that RIM is somewhat aware of the situation but sees priorities in other areas. A little bit of an organized push by consumers would be a great help to us.

My rant in this thread is a continuation of this one which contains the email address of App World Marketing. I encourage you to read this thread, gather some additional ammunition and fire off a pointed email to Marketing at RIM.

I sent an email to the address in the link you provided. Hope it put another torn in their side to get moving!