Live data from Hacker News

Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

qz.com

21–28 of 28 posts

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#22
post #13

Chrome Wikipedia HackerNews 80% seems right.

Wechat / Pleco / Kindle I'd estimate well over 80% of my phone use is those three apps. Why would I do on the phone what I could do perfectly well on a computer?

> Why would I do on the phone what I could do perfectly well on a computer?

Because sometimes you want to do something and aren't at a computer. Or, at least, that's always seemed the point to having a phone-sized computer in your pocket.

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wechat / Pleco / Kindle I'd estimate well over 80% of my phone use is those three apps. Why would I do on the phone what I could do perfectly well on a computer?

> Why would I do on the phone what I could do perfectly well on a computer? Because sometimes you want to do something and aren't at a computer. Or, at least, that's always seemed the point to having a phone-sized computer in your pocket.

Well, yes, that's why the Kindle app is on my phone. If I were at home I'd use the actual kindle. Wechat is a messaging app. And pleco is a chinese dictionary; it has to be on the phone so I can look characters up by drawing them (fun fact: this is why I bought a phone with a touchscreen in the first place). But between books and messaging, the "you're bored" case is pretty well covered.

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#24
post #18

Steve Jobs had it right with iPhone 1 when it came out with just 10 apps. The only problem was it wasn't the right ten apps.

No he didn't.

The three apps in the title are different for everyone.

I use a network diagnostics app every now and then and it's wonderful. I doubt that would've made the cut, and I paid for it even though it's not in the 80% time spent. I would've paid 10 times for the equivalent application on a PC, but I didn't, and I get to carry it in my pocket.

Imagine if computers had only 10 apps.

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#25
post #24
post #18

Steve Jobs had it right with iPhone 1 when it came out with just 10 apps. The only problem was it wasn't the right ten apps.

No he didn't. The three apps in the title are different for everyone. I use a network diagnostics app every now and then and it's wonderful. I doubt that would've made the cut, and I paid for it even though it's not in the 80% time spent. I would've paid 10 times for the equivalent application on a PC, but I didn't, and I get to carry it in my pocket. Imagine if computers had only 10 apps.

Which app do you use?

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#26
post #20

Time spent make sense to rank social media apps powered by ads. However, this metric doesn't reflect the true value of commerce apps. I doubt people spend much time on the Uber or Amazon app, but they generate a massive amount of revenue anyways.

This is a great point. I spend a good deal of money on the Amazon and Lyft apps but I don't spend hardly any time IN the app. Lyft even more so than Amazon as I'm waiting for the ride. On Amazon I know what I'm getting before I open the app, I don't enjoy "browsing" on the Amazon app. Also I wonder how they count something like Spotify or Audible, I spend money for both but rarely have the app in the foreground.

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#27
post #20

Time spent make sense to rank social media apps powered by ads. However, this metric doesn't reflect the true value of commerce apps. I doubt people spend much time on the Uber or Amazon app, but they generate a massive amount of revenue anyways.

I believe the point is that a lot of information is driven by these apps rather than specific apps, which makes them the new media oligopolies, to be crass.

Re: Average American spends 80% of their app time in top three apps

#28
post #9

What a waste of productivity.

Wasting productivity may be necessary for society to sustain rapid population growth.

I think that it's quite obvious that the fields to economics and sociology are lagging a 100 years behind medical science. So that ship has sailed.
Post reply on HN