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WeChat's App Revolution

bloomberg.com

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Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#31

Post by sho_hn »

nneonneo wrote: post #14

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a…

The situation is very similar in Korea with KakaoTalk. They have several apps within the messenger itself (e.g. even one that lets you book a hairdresser appointment) and currently still several outside (e.g. taxi hailing), but altogether they're in a similar position.

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#32

Post by [deleted] »

nneonneo wrote: post #14

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a…

[deleted]

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#33

Post by nv-vn »

Seems really similar to what Telegram has been trying to do for a while now. First with basic bots, then bots using custom keyboards and stickers, then with inline bots, and now with the game API (which basically allows you to package arbitrary HTML/JS/CSS into a bot message).

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#34

Post by yousry »

nneonneo wrote: post #14

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a…

Calling a competitor to Apple, Facebook and Co "unstoppable juggernaut" is sarcasm, isn't it?

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#36

Post by sfifs »

EGreg wrote: post #5

If we don't succeed in decentralizing user identity then centralized platforms like Facebook and WeChat will win. We need the Web to win in order for platforms to stay open, and innovation to flourish, and power dynamics to be more healthy. Here is me pontificating at length about it in a video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzMm7-j7yIY

As usual, you need to find a way for whatever you propose to be a cheaper and more convenient way to work for both app writers and app users and at the same time profitable to whoever runs identity services. Currently the convenience for users and profitable to providers pieces don't work quite as well in open identity solutions. Hence the widely used ones are all side effects of other services like email or social platform etc.

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#37

Post by acchow »

pcr0 wrote: post #18
a_c wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it difficult to understand how these things are revolutionising. Perhaps it has something to do with the culture background of the users?

This video from NYT explains it what makes WeChat revolutionary as a platform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAesMQ6VtK8 tl;dw The revolution alludes to the fact that one app is taking over everything from social networking, mobile payments, food, ticket sales, ride-hailing, financial products, bill payments, and much more.

I watched the video. I still don't get it. Why would I want one app and company to own all of that? I don't even want one phone manufacturer/platform to own my messaging - I much prefer platform-agnostic Whatsapp over iPhone-only iMessage.

Already the smartphone platform I use can do all of social networking, mobile payments, food, ticket sales, ride-hailing, bill payments, etc on ONE device. I just don't see what there is to be gained by pulling all this down into one app? Switching between apps via APIs is already automatic and rather fast, and will only get better over time. The NYT video makes a lot of mention of "you haven't left the app". Why do I care? As long as I haven't left my phone why do I care what app I'm in?

Having APIs for apps on a device to talk to each other allows for competition and variety - won't it obviously win out?

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#38

Post by Inconel »

I may be out of the loop on the newest app developments so please correct me if I'm wrong, but why haven't we seen these kind of all encompassing chat apps take off in the US/West?

Has no one tried it yet or are Western users somehow hostile to these kind of apps?

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#39

Post by simonh »

nneonneo wrote: post #14

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a…

My wife is Chinese but has lived in the UK since 2001 and is a British citizen. In the early days she talked about us moving to China some day, but now feels much more at home here. She absolutely loves WeChat and uses it all the time. She uses it to keep in touch with old friends in China and new Chinese friends in the UK. It also keeps her connected to contemporary Chinese culture. So even outside China, WhatsApp's reach through the broader Chinese community is almost total.

Re: WeChat's App Revolution

#40

Post by simonh »

debt wrote: post #28
nneonneo wrote: post #14

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a…

whatsapp still ain't got an api tho

How do you think these micro-programs work? They haven't got a publicly published API, but they don't need one.
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