TouchPad App Catalog breaks 1000 App milestone 60
It's been three months since the HP TouchPad was released, and a little more than one since it was cancelled, and today the catalog has broken a nice-sized milestone for tablet-sized apps. According to the webOS Developer Advocate at HP, Josh Marinacci, HP's TouchPad-specific app catalog has breached 1000 available applications. In comparison, it took nearly the entire year of 2009 to reach that number for webOS smartphone apps, and more than a year for the original iPhone to reach that same number. That's not including all of the homebrew apps and patches that are available as well, nor the number of smartphone-sized apps that work in the TouchPad's emulator window.
For a platform that has been given the boot by its owners, webOS is certainly continuing to fight for its life. Are you planning on releasing any new apps to the catalog soon?
Congratulations to all webOS developers and the developer relations team on making it this far while jumping through so many obstacles. Just think of how far we would be had HP kept going forward with webOS devices.
Source: Twitter (@JoshMarinacci)
60 Comments
Like the number and rocks for yes a so-called Dead Platform! Thanks for the insight. Sorli...
Believe it or not. I just ordered 2 more new Sprint Palm Pre-
1 for my girl cause she has been eyeballing mine for so long and wants one to go with TP
the 2nd to look pretty and be a collector :)
Heck, I wasn't aware the Pre was even still available through Sprint. I wonder if I could get another one from them just for back-up when mine dies. Cause I just can't see myself on another OS.
I am in the same boat. I have tried other Mobile OS and just can't get into it.
Ebay, not available through sprint, but you may be able to find one there still in brand new unused condition trusted ebayers
how did you get your hands on that. I tried and couldn't find one.
Wow 1,poo crappy apps Blackberry has 25 times more than HP that are almost as crappy
CM7 will save the touch pad
hey I have a pre (2.5 years old and only a new battery)and am getting a TouchPad. Can you answer the pre with the touchpad or respond to SMS messages? Just curious.
Phone calls DOES work thru bluetooth with an old Pre-
SMS does not work.
Sweet! As a matter of fact, I DO have an app that I hope to have finished by the end of the month.
How many apps does Honeycomb have nowadays?
May I ask what your app is. I ask because I have made it a point to try and buy apps that i might even use rarely just so I can show support.
I haven't settled on a name yet, but it's a Lite-Brite-esque tile-drawing app. It has a number of different "peg" shapes, a full 24-bit color picker and can save images to PNG files.
Sounds interesting.... I shall keep my eyes out for it!
Let's hope that landmark 1000th app wasn't a f@rt app!
I will take quality of quantity. The app catalog is severely lacking in quality.
Is that number correct?
(Shameless, brazen self-promotion to follow...)
Since you asked, yes. Yes I do have a TouchPad app I'm about to release called "Power Lines". Its a classic hot-seat multiplayer PDK game where you and three friends all crowd around the same device to enjoy some retro face-to-face gaming. Forget competing against anonymous people in cyberspace... try competing with real people in meatspace! That is classic gaming...
"Power Lines" Supports TouchPad and Veer/Pre/Pre2/Pixi.
Web: http://www.juxtaflux.com/powerlines
Twitter: @juxtaflux
Version 1.1.0 of my TouchPad app, Animal ABCs, went live in the catalog this morning. It adds animal sound effects. :-) As a stay-at-home mom of a 10-month old, my development time is limited, but I'm thinking about writing additional apps. webOS is not dead!
I am going to guide someone to that app, they sounds like they may enjoy that for their kids... come to think of it.. She may already have it, sounds familiar
Appreciate it!
@ekesqueaky, I was on vacation in San Francisco last week, and your app was a LIFESAVER during downtime in the hotel room with my 2.5-year-old daughter. She loved it, and she almost has her ABC's memorized thanks to the song.
My wife remarked that the only thing that would improve the app is animal sounds, so I'm glad you added those! Looking forward to getting the update later.
Johnny, I just now saw your reply and it made my day! :-) Thanks for sharing! Hope she enjoys the update.
With it being in the hands of approximately a million users (thanks to the Firesale), it certainly makes sense to make apps for it. 140,000 apps made specifically for the iPad. LOTS OF CATCHING UP TO DO
can we get a webos pivot october mag to explain some of these apps...geesh
Apple just announced they have 140k apps for the iPad. :/
Seriously, though - how many of those are useful? And of that number... how many does one person really need for their own use?
I doubt if I even have 50 apps loaded on my Pre-, but it does just about everything I could expect it to.
When you have MILLIONS of users of a product each wanting apps that fits "their" needs/wants, 140K apps is not enough. This is especially true since the needs/wants of those millions of users will continue to change over time.
Imagine if there were only 1K apps available for your desktop/laptop computer.
Point: Apps matter.
You must be a developer. I'd love to see a chart showing the curve on the most popular apps vs. the numbers sold on the Apple and Android platforms. I'm guessing a few hundred titles get the lion's share of the action.
A lower tier platform will never have as many apps as an entrenched one. But there is a critical mass which can make a platform viable, and I doubt that it's 140,000.
More is almost always better, but it is not necessarily essential.
Yes, I'm a developer for close to 20 years now.
The interesting thing about that curve is that will change overtime if you poll the exact same people each year.
In all my time developing, I have never had two clients ask for the same app. This is not to say that there isn't a critical portion of any catalog that has the lions share. What it does say is that critical portion CHANGES constantly. What the majority of users use today will likely be very different from what they will use tomorrow.
People try to make it seem like the app count represents the total number of "very active apps" available. It does not. What it represents is something closer to "the probability that you'll find the app that YOU want, WHEN you want it and especially when you want something else."
I don't know about you, but I tend to use only about ten nowadays. In the past I'd have 50 or 100.
Turns out that the webapp replaces many apps on the desktop and it will do so on mobile OSes as well.
An app catalog/store/market is not here to serve ONE person. It's perfectly fine if all you need are about 10 apps. The point is when you're dealing with millions of people, they may not want/need the "same" 10 apps as you. Beyond that, as life continues, what you need or want changes. Having a viable ecosystem is one of the keys to keeping mobile users.
Most people read less than a handfull of books per year. Should Amazon only carry about 1K books. Or maybe they should change their business model to "only" sell books that are on the bestseller's list. I mean, there must be a consumer out there that will only read 5 books this year...right?
Great 140K apps, but I have more apps in my pre- and TP than anyone that I Know with iphones, Iphone is great, except for :expensive, no Touchstone, No true Multitasking, but yes, very simplistic indeed.
I would say 140k of Tvshits
When you do a search of "touchpad" in the catalog, it shows 517 apps. They got to make it easier to filter out non Touchpad apps. Also that French app petit fute is a pain to scroll by when searching.
try using the search HD
I have found I get more Touchpad only results, but still miss out on some i am sure.
type, "for Touchpad" or "Touchpad"
Anyone up for building a better youtube app, I can provide funding?
whats wrong with the current WeTube touchpad one in the app catalog?
I dont want to complain about WeTube. so Im just proposing something on par with motorola's for example.
what was the name of the 1000th app....
Super **** Generator (lol)
My first thought was "wow, I had no idea - I was thinking it was half that number".
My second thought was "wow, being webOS Developer Advocate at HP nowadays must feel kind of like being Political and Religious Freedom Advocate for the Chinese Government"...
Good one!
GREAT! Only 139,000 more to go to match iOS!
ahh haa lol half of the apps are that french app petit fute! lol @ miles4000
I won't be releasing new apps (a dead platform is a DEAD platform after all). I will continue supporting my existing Enyo app (which I developed before everything went to s**t) and port my Mojo app to fullscreen on Touchpad. Beyond that I won't have anything to do with webOS.
My Enyo app is TouchFeeds, by the way.
Great article.
Applause...Standing Ovation...Kudos...Fist Pump. Marv Albert's "Yes!!!"
Congratulations are in order for the "Entire webOS app dev team". You gals and guys "Rock!!!"
webOS is not dead.
Besides, it's only a matter of time before the right business situation comes along and revitalizes webOS back to much deserved success. Whether that be HP doing a turnaround, or any one of a handful of suitors currently pressing, intrigued, or in current negotiations for it. At the very least webOS has proven one thing: it continues to attract suitors.
So again, Congratulations to everyone involved with supporting, developing, and believing in success for webOS.
Keep the faith everyone. Peace.
That's not going to happen when you have a product that is so far behind the competition. That is one reason why HP decided to get out the business. I don't see another company risking capital on such a venture. Palm the creator tried and failed. The purchaser tried and failed also losing a ton of money in the process.
Except that the 'purchaser' didn't really try. At least not after Mark Hurd got the boot.
Myth. They tried. They spent millions trying. They are STILL trying (just not with hardware).
C-note was correct. The millions were spent during Mark Hurd's reign, or as a result of obligations made by HP under Hurd that could not be rescinded (such as media buys, dev relations, etc.). Leo cancelled the project as soon as he was able to. That is not "trying" as any rational businessperson would define it.
Nice try at revisionist history, though.
Negative. There were products developed, launched, advertised, marketed, pormoted, under Leo. At least one of the products was launched TWICE under Leo. Event's were held. Statements were made. Millions were spent..under Leo.
Or...maybe they did all of that for free. Talk about revisionist history.
it's only a matter of time before the right business situation comes along and revitalizes webOS back to much deserved success.
Back to success? When was the initial success again?
That took a while...
*5 seconds later*
"-100"
There is life/value in this platform and we can keep the apps coming. HP frakked the natural market function of our ecosysem, but the good news is WE ARE THE MARKET. We can crowdsource our way to even more apps via enforceable app bounties. Check the forum thread. http://forums.precentral.net/hp-touchpad-apps/299954-official-app-bounty...
if we demonstrate our market power this way, we breathe more life into the platform and increase its value and thereby the chance it will be picked up by corporate player with the vision to see Webos at the next level and the cahones to take it there.
That's Right, Well Done!!Political Season
Congratulations for All of You for the Apps, Developers, consumers, WebOS community, we will still alive then.
HP Wake Up Call!!
I too am a new Touchpad user....tis a shame....GREAT product...maybe HP's new CEO will change HP's direction and continue Touchpad development.
Ok
Ok