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IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

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Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#21

Post by awolf »

Typing is such a widely voiced complaint because it's new and difficult at first and requires practice. Instead of putting in the effort, almost everyone assumes the virtual keyboard paradigm is broken and simply throws their hands up in the air in frustration. It baffles me.

Typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is fine. Just like when you were learning to type on a physical keyboard, it takes practice up front. I can easily type 50 WPM on the virtual keyboard, and I'm not alone. See also: my app TapTyping.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#22

Post by drewying »

napoleoncomplex wrote: post #16

The displayed workflow is horrendous. And that's just one aspect of the sub-par experience of doing "real work" on pure touch screen devices. The poll sums it all up nicely. What users want is real multitasking, a keyboard, and features that are on a desktop. Seems pretty clear that the users don't want an iOS/Android device, they want a laptop/desktop with a real OS. No app can solve that, no matter how much funding…

Isn't this the dream of the Microsoft Surface and similar tablets? Give them multitasking, a keyboard case, and boom instant productivity.

I personally just think it comes down to screen real estate. Small screens are hard to do anything productive. I still remember trying to type up a paper in college on an Acer netbook. Even with a full "laptop experience", it was a horrible and scarring experience.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#23

Post by rimantas »

unknownian wrote: post #9

I'm unsympathetic. The only thing that held back non-Apple mobile platforms was the app ecosystem. The Play Store has definitely caught up with the App Store. Even if you don't think it does, the versatility of Android really does beat that of iOS. iOS isn't going anywhere for the general populace, but I see little benefit for its use in the tech community. I'm not one of those "iOS is a toy for idiots" detractors, b…

What did Ford say about people wanting the faster horse?

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#24

Post by tenpoundhammer »

Better app switching and text selection would solve a lot of the complaints. Users can already get a physical keyboard for their iDevice, but standard text selection and editing is incredibly annoying. Also alt-tab to switch applications plus a group of apps that are "running" would make life good.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#25

Post by taude »

awolf wrote: post #21

Typing is such a widely voiced complaint because it's new and difficult at first and requires practice . Instead of putting in the effort, almost everyone assumes the virtual keyboard paradigm is broken and simply throws their hands up in the air in frustration. It baffles me. Typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is fine. Just like when you were learning to type on a physical keyboard, it takes practice up front. I ca…

After two years, I disagree with this. I have to consistently concentrate on the physical act of typing and not what I'm trying to write.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#26

Post by rogerchucker »

awolf wrote: post #21

Typing is such a widely voiced complaint because it's new and difficult at first and requires practice . Instead of putting in the effort, almost everyone assumes the virtual keyboard paradigm is broken and simply throws their hands up in the air in frustration. It baffles me. Typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is fine. Just like when you were learning to type on a physical keyboard, it takes practice up front. I ca…

IMHO, typing on iPad is stupid not necessarily because of the typing experience (I'm actually not terrible at it), but because the screen size above the virtual keyboard is too little. I want to write with a sufficient amount of text around the area where I am writing to give me full context. That's how I have been trained and and so have most people. I'm not sure why this would baffle anybody.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#27

Post by awolf »

taude wrote: post #25
awolf wrote: post #21

Typing is such a widely voiced complaint because it's new and difficult at first and requires practice . Instead of putting in the effort, almost everyone assumes the virtual keyboard paradigm is broken and simply throws their hands up in the air in frustration. It baffles me. Typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is fine. Just like when you were learning to type on a physical keyboard, it takes practice up front. I ca…

After two years, I disagree with this. I have to consistently concentrate on the physical act of typing and not what I'm trying to write.

Then you're doing it wrong.

Either you don't use proper typing style on a physical keyboard (all 10 fingers, each responsible for a specific set of keys), or you haven't put the effort into adapting that typing style for virtual keyboards.

Typing is about training your muscle memory for each finger for each keystroke it could possible be responsible for. Once your muscle memory is trained, it becomes a subconscious skill that you should not need to concentrate on.

The fact that this muscle memory is being used on a virtual keyboard vs. a physical keyboard does not matter whatsoever. The same concept applies.

Edit: email me adam@flairify.com and I'll give you a free download for my paid typing trainer app. It works.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#28

Post by orky56 »

orky56 wrote: post #10

To get someone to pay, you need to prey on their impulses. Games accomplish this with instant gratification and addiction. For productivity apps, people can justify a purchase because their productivity is worth at the least that price. These are typically pay per downloads and then involve a user to switch to a completely new system. I wouldn't be surprised if engagement & retention are very low despite these high r…

Based on some early customer development, I have found that people who want to be productive go on a spree of gathering too many productivity tools around them. As I mentioned earlier, some people feel productive just by getting a productivity tool. So even if a user has downloaded the app, they now have to migrate their existing items and start to fully incorporate this new tool into their life. It's much easier to purchase and download a tool than to actually dedicate their lives to it.

So from that perspective, I would say retention and engagement are low since not many are willing to put the time and effort to do that tool justice.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#29

Post by coldcode »

There is no such thing as a tablet or phone that is exactly the same as a desktop or laptop computer. Surface claimed to be that solution but no one wants them. Small screens don't work for productivity apps like spreadsheets and word processors no matter the platform. If Apple came out with a 15" iPad it wouldn't be an iPad anymore it would be an Air. One device can never fit all needs no matter how much you want it too. You can whine about not being able to put freight in a tiny sports car but that's what a pickup is for.

Re: IOS productivity app market on the cusp of change?

#30

Post by slaven »

I'm finding myself using my iPad for certain type of work a lot more with a keyboard attached. Apps like HaikuDeck are simply better at what they do than any app I have on my Mac, and with OS X app Type2Cell I can use my Mac keyboard to control the iPad. (both highly recommended)
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