Mobile Device Bigotry
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How many times have you seen something that says to "Scan this QR code to download our wonderful new app to your phone" only to find out that they support only the iPhone and Android? I own a Windows Phone 8 (Nokia 920) and I love it. We just received our coupon book from Costco in the mail today, and right on the cover it advertises their "Streamlined Savings No more clipping coupons!" You open it up and they show you two important items:
- Master Bar Code
- Scan here to download the Costco app
Now, the Master Bar Code lets the cashier know that you actually received a book so the register may automatically apply any coupons from the book to qualifying items in your purchase. Nifty. no need to isolate the coupon to get the savings. (My local Costco got to pilot the program so we've been doing it for a couple of years, but now it's all official). It's the second item that bothers me. You see, when you scan the code it takes you to a web page that gives you links to the Apple App Store and Google play. That's it. Nothing else. So basically, Costco's opinion is apparently that only owners of iPhones and Androids want to be able to use the code from their phones. Well, OBVIOUSLY us Windows Phone users don't carry around our phones, right? And we *never* use it to, say, purchase things, browse the web, play games, interact with our favorite social network, etc. right? Of course not! We only got the phones because they can run Word, Excel, and OneNote (magnificently!). Personally, I've written apps for all three platforms and none of them is easier or harder than the other, they're just different. So why can't these paid development teams build for Windows Phone? The most likely reason is that the company paying them (I'm picking on Costco in this post but there are literally hundreds of examples out there) doesn't think it's of value. So there we have it. I own a Windows Phone and Costco doesn't believe that I have value. Bigotry against me because of my choice of phone. [steps off soapbox, rant complete]
Preach it brother! What really gets me is the "get our app -- iPhone, Android, and Blackberry 10". Blackberry 10, really? PS I too love my Lumia 920. EDIT: And before anyone gets the idea that I'm slamming BB10, I'm only commenting on the silliness of supporting BB10 while not supporting WP since both are way behind IOS and Android in market share.
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I would suspect that they have simply decided that Windows Phone users are a small enough minority that it isn't affecting sales.
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
See my reply about ads that want you to download their app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry 10. If I'm not mistaken, BB10 has an even smaller user base.
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How many times have you seen something that says to "Scan this QR code to download our wonderful new app to your phone" only to find out that they support only the iPhone and Android? I own a Windows Phone 8 (Nokia 920) and I love it. We just received our coupon book from Costco in the mail today, and right on the cover it advertises their "Streamlined Savings No more clipping coupons!" You open it up and they show you two important items:
- Master Bar Code
- Scan here to download the Costco app
Now, the Master Bar Code lets the cashier know that you actually received a book so the register may automatically apply any coupons from the book to qualifying items in your purchase. Nifty. no need to isolate the coupon to get the savings. (My local Costco got to pilot the program so we've been doing it for a couple of years, but now it's all official). It's the second item that bothers me. You see, when you scan the code it takes you to a web page that gives you links to the Apple App Store and Google play. That's it. Nothing else. So basically, Costco's opinion is apparently that only owners of iPhones and Androids want to be able to use the code from their phones. Well, OBVIOUSLY us Windows Phone users don't carry around our phones, right? And we *never* use it to, say, purchase things, browse the web, play games, interact with our favorite social network, etc. right? Of course not! We only got the phones because they can run Word, Excel, and OneNote (magnificently!). Personally, I've written apps for all three platforms and none of them is easier or harder than the other, they're just different. So why can't these paid development teams build for Windows Phone? The most likely reason is that the company paying them (I'm picking on Costco in this post but there are literally hundreds of examples out there) doesn't think it's of value. So there we have it. I own a Windows Phone and Costco doesn't believe that I have value. Bigotry against me because of my choice of phone. [steps off soapbox, rant complete]
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See my reply about ads that want you to download their app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry 10. If I'm not mistaken, BB10 has an even smaller user base.
Not true as of march this year from what I could find. Bb about twice windows.
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Not true as of march this year from what I could find. Bb about twice windows.
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
BB overall or BB10 specifically? Because I was talking specifically about BB10 -- since the ads I was referencing were specific about the version. EDIT: I didn't see any BB10 specific numbers (though I thought I'd seen something previously). You're correct about overall BB usage; however, BB is (or was as of Q3 of last year) losing marking share quickly while Windows Phone is (or again, was) gaining (though not as quickly). Here's the story I read.[^] EDIT #2: Just read this[^] from IDC stating that in Q2 of '13, WP moved ahead of BB.
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KChandos wrote:
[...enormous amounts of text...] Bigotry against me because of my choice of phone.
My God! This is such an injustice, and should immediately be reported to the appropriate authorities[^]. [joke]A submission like this will be perfect: I scanned the QR code of ambrozia-blubbero-dubberz branded edible massage oil advert on my ipad8, and it didn't work because my phone runs on symbian. :( [/joke]
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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Lesson leaned: QR Codes are platform agnostic... applications aren't :laugh: :laugh: Now seriously, porting and maintaining an App for a specific platform has a cost, and sometimes it doesn't worth it. These decisions have a lot to do with statistics. If a low percentage of the requests come from Windows Phone users, most likely this will be the last one to be supported, if at all... On the other hand, different platforms may take different finish dates and it's better to have it available earlier for some than wait for all platforms to be supported to finally release the app. It's bad for those users but business is business... decisions have to be made.
It's your statement of "if at all" that gets me up in arms. I'm not talking about small businesses that have limited customer bases, in the case of this rant (and let's face it, it is a rant) I'm talking about Costco. I don't know where you're from, but here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, Costco is *HUGE*! Even though they are so big and their customer base so diverse, I do understand releasing the iPhone and Android versions as soon as their ready, but why not also say something along the lines of "coming to a Windows Phone soon". Instead, there's simply nothing. I can guarantee you that, at least where I live, if Costco had released only an Android version, the iPhone community would have started an on-line "boycott Costco" campaign and gathered volunteers to clog the Costco HQ phone lines. To me it's really not worth more than a rant on a programmers forum and perhaps a stop at the customer service desk when I go in later this week.
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Ha ha ha ha! So true, so true!! I guess I'll just need to keep giving to Hands 4 Others[^]!
Take an upvote for the spirit. :)
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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Take an upvote for the spirit. :)
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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BB overall or BB10 specifically? Because I was talking specifically about BB10 -- since the ads I was referencing were specific about the version. EDIT: I didn't see any BB10 specific numbers (though I thought I'd seen something previously). You're correct about overall BB usage; however, BB is (or was as of Q3 of last year) losing marking share quickly while Windows Phone is (or again, was) gaining (though not as quickly). Here's the story I read.[^] EDIT #2: Just read this[^] from IDC stating that in Q2 of '13, WP moved ahead of BB.
However isn't the user base for BB much more business based versus consumer base? Especially small business? And I am rather certain that is a strong market for Costco. However this is all just speculation. It could be that each implementation was outsourced and the windows one failed to deliver.
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However isn't the user base for BB much more business based versus consumer base? Especially small business? And I am rather certain that is a strong market for Costco. However this is all just speculation. It could be that each implementation was outsourced and the windows one failed to deliver.
We've come down the path a way in this thread. The OP was talking about a Costco app only being available for IOS and Android but not WP. I raised the BB10 question in relation to a different app. I didn't name it, which may account for the confusion. The app I'm thinking of (MLB TV) is strictly entertainment, not business at all, and is available for IOS, Android, and BB10, but not WP. It's puzzling to me that the latest version of a slowly dying platform (BB10) would be supported by an entertainment platform while WP, which is growing rather than shrinking in user base wouldn't be. And it may very well be because of the static numbers -- BB overall does still beat WP in number of users, but I can't help but think that won't last. EDIT: Just read this[^] from IDC stating that in Q2 of '13, WP moved ahead of BB.
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Not true as of march this year from what I could find. Bb about twice windows.
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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BB overall or BB10 specifically? Because I was talking specifically about BB10 -- since the ads I was referencing were specific about the version. EDIT: I didn't see any BB10 specific numbers (though I thought I'd seen something previously). You're correct about overall BB usage; however, BB is (or was as of Q3 of last year) losing marking share quickly while Windows Phone is (or again, was) gaining (though not as quickly). Here's the story I read.[^] EDIT #2: Just read this[^] from IDC stating that in Q2 of '13, WP moved ahead of BB.
Yes - I was talking BB not just BB10 - although I don't know enough about BBN to know if that's a huge difference It surprises me that an app would be delivered for BB or Windows Phone unless the dev environment covers all platforms. The cost of developing for minority platforms I would think would be prohibitively high given the market share - especially if outsourced. (in-sourcing you at least can be thought of as investing in the future perceived market) By developing for IOS and Android you are getting 90% of the market - which is best value for money - & I guess that's what it comes down to; this money is presumably coming straight out of the advertising budget - so it is all about numbers.
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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It's your statement of "if at all" that gets me up in arms. I'm not talking about small businesses that have limited customer bases, in the case of this rant (and let's face it, it is a rant) I'm talking about Costco. I don't know where you're from, but here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, Costco is *HUGE*! Even though they are so big and their customer base so diverse, I do understand releasing the iPhone and Android versions as soon as their ready, but why not also say something along the lines of "coming to a Windows Phone soon". Instead, there's simply nothing. I can guarantee you that, at least where I live, if Costco had released only an Android version, the iPhone community would have started an on-line "boycott Costco" campaign and gathered volunteers to clog the Costco HQ phone lines. To me it's really not worth more than a rant on a programmers forum and perhaps a stop at the customer service desk when I go in later this week.
I can see you're really upset with this... :laugh: Still I'm facing this as a business decision, and this has nothing to do with the size of the company. For instance, Switzerland is known for it's banking system, being UBS[^] one of the biggest banks in the world. Despite of this, their mobile application is only available on the Apple Strore and Google Play. Why? Probably because of the same reason as Cotsco... their Windows Phone customer base isn't big enough to worth the money + trouble. The money isn't only for development but also maintenance. As you said, they are big companies, this one specially dealing with freaking insane bank accounts, therefore apps in a "one way fits all" aren't an option. They should be native, robust, reliable and secure apps which leads to... Expensive! As for customer perception, it's much worse to have a bad application than no application. Also in the long run things keep being expensive as on each new release all apps must be designed differently to cope with the different platform layout logic, updated, tested and pass all quality checks, etc... Looks simple at the beginning but if you dig it a bit adding a new supported platform to an app actually involves a lot of money that even though these companies certainly have, they just don't see the need to spend. Bottom line, it isn't just because a new type of phone/OS comes out that all companies must support it. It might be the best OS ever made by the Binary God, if the customer base is small, other platforms get development priority... Cheers!