
What got you here on Apple, won’t get you there on Android - ttunguz
http://tomasztunguz.com/2011/04/15/what-got-you-here-on-apple-wont-get-you-there-on-android/
======
gte910h
uh, what?

>No need to connect the phone to a PC or to fire up the Android Market. In
contrast, Apple uses iTunes, a client application on the PC, to install
applications. The extra friction in that process reduces app installs and
trials, limiting the effectiveness of web-based app distribution.

I don't know about you, but the "open the Appstore app" from a link on my
phone sounds identical.

I don't think I've ever bought an app via iTunes on the desktop. You click a
link on the web, which opens to the install page in the iOS appstore, and
click install. What about that process is cumbersome?

This article doesn't feel like it issues real advice for android development
for iOS devs (the purported aim) nor does it feel the author gets iOS by the
basic misunderstanding of the common web marketing funnel for iOS apps.

~~~
vetinari
> I don't know about you, but the "open the Appstore app" from a link on my
> phone sounds identical.

It's not identical, because he was talking about browsing the Market on PC (or
tablet, if you must) and installing apps from there. All you need is to login
into Android Market with the same account as you are using for the device and
you can push apps to your phone. No cable necessary.

~~~
j79
To be fair, of the last three years of owning an iPhone, I can only remember
two or three instances where I was reading about an app and had an impulse to
purchase it right then and there.

I do see/understand the advantage of having a deep-link on their homepage
allowing me to purchase the app without having to launch iTunes (or the App
store on my iPhone), but of the few instances (Camera+ was one and I forget
the others) I didn't find the "friction" of having to launch the app store on
my device much of an issue.

On that note, purchasing apps is more of a "casual" thing for me. When I'm
interested in buying an app, it's usually done in "batches". And it's usually
done when I've got nothing better to do (before bed, on the train, etc.) so
settings where browsing the app store on the phone is the most comfortable.

~~~
MatthewPhillips
Is it possible that your habits are partially trained by the device's
strengths? It's easy to install from the app store so that's what you do.
Don't you think that if you could install apps from the web you might do so
after getting used to the feature?

It's a new feature for Android, so this article is really just hitting on how
to market to users. It's saying play to Android's strengths, don't try to
market the same way you market on iOS (which involves getting on the featured
app list). The Market is much more algorithm driven in it's rankings so that
approach doesn't work. But if you can spread your app in a viral manner on
twitter and facebook with a link straight to purchase/download, how can you
say that's _not_ good advice?

~~~
gte910h
>It's a new feature for Android,

Oh, so by android he means, 5% of android owners. Sorry, that's not a great
thing to base a strategy around and it would be nice to clarify the different
methods iOS has and the fact that this is only in Android W.Y.Z and only 3
phones have that delivery mechanism yet.

(Don't think I am not POed that apple is again on multiple versions. Why are
they lagging the Verizon iOS version).

~~~
vetinari
New as "since 2.2", which means something over 2/3 of android users can use
this feature.

~~~
MatthewPhillips
Actually I meant new as in since January. But yes, it works on most Android
phones. I meant new as in people aren't used to using it yet. It's something
I'm sure a lot of Android owners aren't aware they can do. Which might be an
advantage for those developers who do use it in marketing.

------
alooPotato
One thing I've found painfully missing, as an app developer, is any sort of
analytics around the purchase flow of apps in the App Store.

For example, I have no idea how many people visited my app page from their
iPhone, from the web deep link, from iTunes and I don't know what % convert.
As such, I can't do any A/B testing on images/text content/price, etc
(actually I could but it be indirect) on the actual purchase pages.

