The problems of the apps world
You can find apps everywhere : Mobile (Google Play, Apple Store, Amazon,…) , Web (Chrome, JoliCloud, …)
Apps you can find on all the conventional app stores have the same problems as old software we used to download before the web. A few problems and good news about this :
1. Connected apps and spam.
One major problem I see with apps, on Chrome, Android and even the Apple store is that, many of
them are trying to get you to register to their very own database, that when hacked by (Chinese) hackers will just end sending you spam for drugs or online loans !
2. Quality and compatibility
It is true that Apple has some very strong guidelines for quality. However, even with these guidelines, you can find that more apps are not compatible with all ipads (or iphones), because improperly tested. On Android, it’s even worst ! On Chrome, the app being a web page, aside from browser incompatibilities, bad code and moreover, downs from the app itself (web servers are down sometimes, so are databases), an app can be interesting.
3. Localization
This is not really localization, but that shows the extent of the problem.
As a french guy, I was wondering if I can learn Chinese or Hebrew using one of these Google Chrome apps (Speak XXX). However, a first test would be for me to check the apps that are intended to teach French. Well, let’s be honest, I do not even understand the lessons (using sound), these seems to be using the computer speech modules which are very English sounding, and let’s be honest : I couldn’t understand “Bonne soiree” (Good evening.. no accent, English keyboard.) , and many other basic words, using audio only. It’s sadly the same for any app that are localized, and really kill the “foreign” user experience.
4. Over Marketing
Free is good, I like to have android apps running for free (for testing), but with all the mobile affiliate banners floating around, the first thing is that my Samsung Galaxy has it’s battery drained in half the time it normally does, and the game-play (in that case), is really weakened by all the quick money schemes that are around it. I believe a good free game should be a game with limitations, that makes you enjoy it and try to educate you to buy the full game. Right now, you just get really disgusted of the full app when trying the free one.
5. Not all is so bad
Yes ! Not all is so bleak in the apps world ! Rating systems on Google play and Apple, can really guide you to a quality app. I remember when Google Play started as Android Market, were no moderation at all, was putting all the apps to 0 stars, with only bad comments, or “Scam apps” (apps that just take over completely your phone), with 5 stars and some comments from “John” or “Jack” saying about how incredible is the app. Nowadays, it seems the comments algorithm are running a bit better, and you can avoid such traps.
I believe that the app world (installed on computers, or in the “cloud”) is a good step forward for the IT industry and the users themselves, but that apps quality criteria should be better, and programming standard as well.
Facebook lately shows this, as they contacted me (and a few millions other people) about their new app stores, and for sure, I will get my team developing a web-app (Game for sure), to test-out the power of nearly 1 billion users both in free to play mode, and in “buyer” mode.
I will also upgrade up to standard my well nice android (text-only) poetry application, and actually use my own advice on my own development !
Submitted in: business, general, headlines, software |