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Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

thenextweb.com

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Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#31

Post by petercooper »

bane wrote: post #3
jacquesm wrote: post #2

Suggestion: stop making it for iOs as well and make the site work properly in any browser.

I really don't understand why news sites bother with dedicated apps. It doesn't sound like anything they're doing couldn't be handled by web design these days, music, video, images, layout etc. Sidenote: From the writeup it sounds like TNW is struggling more with their tooling than with Android. Anybody know of better alternatives?

Ease of sales. It's easier to sell an app than a subscription through a Web paywall. This is also why more developers sell Mac apps through the App Store than direct now. Psychology, discoverability, and ease of making impulse purchases all comes into play.

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#32

Post by bane »

petercooper wrote: post #31
bane wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't understand why news sites bother with dedicated apps. It doesn't sound like anything they're doing couldn't be handled by web design these days, music, video, images, layout etc. Sidenote: From the writeup it sounds like TNW is struggling more with their tooling than with Android. Anybody know of better alternatives?

Ease of sales. It's easier to sell an app than a subscription through a Web paywall. This is also why more developers sell Mac apps through the App Store than direct now. Psychology, discoverability, and ease of making impulse purchases all comes into play.

I could see that for something like NYT, but TNW doesn't offer subscriptions.

Do people discover web sites through an app store?

I wonder if there's an opportunity there?

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#33

Post by bryanlarsen »

There have been a lot of comments blaming stingy Android users and poor ports for poor sales on Android compared to iOS. I think there's a third factor: exposure & marketing. I'm an Android user, I know that I've read articles from thenextweb before, but I did not know that they actually had an application/magazine for sale.

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#34

Post by mattquiros »

- On Android's fragmentation: From my experience, any developer or publisher who makes a big deal out of Android's fragmentation are just lazy people making excuses. There's ALWAYS a way to make the same iOS app on Android, and if any devices can't run your Android app, then that device just sucks too much. If it doesn't, either you do, or in this case, your publishing software.

- "You make a beautiful magazine for the iPad, and then you dumb it down for Android." Probably because your developer who told you this has no experience developing any real apps for Android and is forcing iOS's UI elements into it? Or maybe you're bombarding your magazine with too much content in the first place (you mentioned embedded music--seriously, isn't that information pollution?). I've seen beautiful apps on iOS that offer the same, consistent experience in Android, e.g., Evernote. What is your excuse for not pulling this off?

- "For every Android user that downloads an Android magazine we have 80 iOS downloads." But what about the Android users who read your content via your mobile website? Or, for many Android tablets from Samsung, via Pulse? Exactly what is your value proposition to these users why they should download your app when they can get most of your content for free? The way I see it, Android users are just being smart because they find ways to bypass having to pay for free content.

- "...with the current state of technology and the way the market is divided we can’t afford to invest in it anymore." Your target market is fragmented, DEAL WITH IT. If you want to make money, see it as an untapped opportunity and seize it. It's really TNW's call, but to me, their reasons for not developing for Android are just like fat people's excuses for not going to the gym.

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#35

Post by chris_wot »

rogerbinns wrote: post #29
Zaheer wrote: post #12

I have an application out for Android & iPhone both with same exact functionality. The Android version sells maybe 10 a day max while iPhone constantly sells 10x that. I'm becoming more and more convinced the Android market is just not that attractive.

Other than games, when I see apps available on both and that were ported from the iOS version it is very apparent they are not "proper" Android apps. Big clues are having menu and back buttons. Others are using builtin 3rd party integration (eg fb, twitter, dropbox) instead of the system. A well structured Android application is like a mashup of different screens, processing (services), event handlers (broadcast rece…

I'm really not clear why this comment was voted down. If you disagree, I'm very interested in knowing what the issue is. Speak up!

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#36

Post by MaysonL »

mattquiros wrote: post #34

- On Android's fragmentation: From my experience, any developer or publisher who makes a big deal out of Android's fragmentation are just lazy people making excuses. There's ALWAYS a way to make the same iOS app on Android, and if any devices can't run your Android app, then that device just sucks too much. If it doesn't, either you do, or in this case, your publishing software. - "You make a beautiful magazine for t…

There actually is significant fragmentation in the Android user base, and it's harder to deliver significant apps with equality of performance and features for Android than iOS. See, for example, the BBC's experience: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2012/12/android_updat...

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#37

Post by MaysonL »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #33

There have been a lot of comments blaming stingy Android users and poor ports for poor sales on Android compared to iOS. I think there's a third factor: exposure & marketing. I'm an Android user, I know that I've read articles from thenextweb before, but I did not know that they actually had an application/magazine for sale.

Then again, I'm an iOS user who occasionally reads their articles also, and did not have any idea they had an app/magazine.

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#38

Post by apike »

mattquiros wrote: post #34

- On Android's fragmentation: From my experience, any developer or publisher who makes a big deal out of Android's fragmentation are just lazy people making excuses. There's ALWAYS a way to make the same iOS app on Android, and if any devices can't run your Android app, then that device just sucks too much. If it doesn't, either you do, or in this case, your publishing software. - "You make a beautiful magazine for t…

> maybe you're bombarding your magazine with too much content in the first place

As a mobile developer, I see this attitude as very dangerous. When an aspect of user experience is prohibitively difficult to achieve with somebody's pet platform (Android, iOS, HTML5, ePub, whatever), they tend to attack the need for that feature or experience.

Sometimes the lack of a feature really is beneficial - say, for security or privacy. Most of the time though, this is just frustration turning in to defensiveness. (Example: the now-dead argument that Android doesn't need smooth scrolling and animations.)

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#39

Post by dotBen »

Steko wrote: post #30

I think all the people blaming TNW or their tools or the lack of publishing platforms are all just missing the point as, despite market share, Android fails by many of the app and content dollar metrics. The point being missed is that Google might simply not have enough credit cards. Despite being one of the most valuable and trusted brands in the world, Google is not a brand people have trusted with their credit car…

"The point being missed is that Google might simply not have enough credit cards."

Or, perhaps Android users just don't wish to be nickle and dimed into buying stuff.

Cynical view, but even myself as a v affluent individual + owner and lover of several apple mac computers shuns iOS because frankly I don't wish to pay for every app and content I might consume. Case in point is this NextWeb magazine - sounds like it actually costs money to buy. I'm not at all interested, esp if I can visit the website for free.

Android has a higher install rate than iOS but iOS tops dollar metrics because it is the platform of choice of those with the most disposable income.

Re: Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android

#40

Post by mattquiros »

apike wrote: post #38
mattquiros wrote: post #34

- On Android's fragmentation: From my experience, any developer or publisher who makes a big deal out of Android's fragmentation are just lazy people making excuses. There's ALWAYS a way to make the same iOS app on Android, and if any devices can't run your Android app, then that device just sucks too much. If it doesn't, either you do, or in this case, your publishing software. - "You make a beautiful magazine for t…

> maybe you're bombarding your magazine with too much content in the first place As a mobile developer, I see this attitude as very dangerous. When an aspect of user experience is prohibitively difficult to achieve with somebody's pet platform (Android, iOS, HTML5, ePub, whatever), they tend to attack the need for that feature or experience. Sometimes the lack of a feature really is beneficial - say, for security or…

Yeah, but embedded music? Why would a magazine have embedded music though?
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