DISQUS

sweller · 1 month ago

Ironic you mention this, as I was recently thinking the exact same thing... only a matter of time. It's all about using the social space for app discovery. With thousands of apps, how do you find the one best for you? Seems like Apple could accomplish this the app store.

There are a few apps for iPhone games that add this sort of social aspect to app discovery. I saw a demo of one at the NYC Games Conference last month.

bijan · 1 month ago

The better the store can distribute the more developers will pay attention.

David Semeria · 1 month ago

On a slightly different note, the current cornucopia of (incompatible) app stores reminds me of the early days of similarly incompatible email platforms. Intuition points to the app store model evolving into a universal and open solution (with, in all the likelihood, the browser representing the underlying platform).

bijan · 1 month ago

i tend to agree but there will always be aggregation to help users and help developers with distribution. also helps with payments, etc. i don't think it's an either/or. I think it's an "and".

jonsteinberg · 1 month ago

Jolicloud does the app install newsfeed. Really like it.

bijan · 1 month ago

that's been on my list to check out. thx for reminding me!

jonsteinberg · 1 month ago

I sent you the invite let me know if you need another

Ryan Graves · 1 month ago

@bijan An interesting site you should check out is appolicious.com they're basically managing the virality of apps by building a social graph/network around them. I think there is a lot of opportunity there for cross app store relationships and for app developers to figure out what platforms to focus on.

bijan · 1 month ago

I will check it out.

one thing is i wonder if app stores stay fragmented but social graphs converge.

what if I could use FB connect or Twitter oauth on itunes. doesn't that make more sense than apple getting their own profile data?

Ryan Graves · 1 month ago

Absolutely, but Apple and openness aren't exactly eggs and bacon.

bijan · 1 month ago

well said :)

Alan Warms · 1 month ago

Bijan - check out our site http://www.appolicious.com - exactly what you're thinking. We launched 9/1. Happy to chat

bijan · 1 month ago

will do. thx for the pointer.

Nikhil Roy · 1 month ago

Haven't you heard - Apple's got a genius to fix that! They recently added "genius" app recommendations to the app store.

Great post. I think social aspects are long overdue for iTunes. In addition to havings "friends" I would also like if it would let me follow someone that buys music/apps/movies etc. I like as well.

bijan · 1 month ago

i like social gestures better than genius gestures.

for example, tivo will automatically add content to your tivo box based on their genius models/database.

boxee will recommend content based on your friends activity.

kirklove · 1 month ago

Word Warp FTW! The misses has good taste. Addicted to that game.

bijan · 1 month ago

she loves it.

kirklove · 1 month ago

Bijan, hopefully this isn't unprofessional, but I sent you an email at bsabet at gmail dot com subject: "I'm a big fan of yours". Perhaps it got lost, or spammed, but it would mean a lot to me if you could check it out. Thanks. Don't mean to be a pest, but I'm not against being persistent. ; )

bijan · 1 month ago

no worries. i didn't see it or i missed it. could you resend it.

OurielOhayon · 1 month ago

Bijan

app stores are meant to be discovered via your social graph. this is why we built Appsfire.com, an unfunded project, already gathering high profile users like Robert Scoble, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Brad Feld, Chris Dixon and many more (check their apps here http://appsfire.com/vips )

So much more is coming, that a comment is not enough to dlsclose it. But stay tuned

shearic · 1 month ago

FWIW - the last example sounds like the Beacon service that Facebook tried (late 2007?) and was swatted down by users at the time.

im2b_dl · 1 month ago

I just wonder how much this doesn't already exist...in an organic form in social media anyway. ... feels a little like it might end up being like those buttons on a remote that are nice to be there but how often would you really use rather than just find it another way. If it is about highlighting good apps references why not just make it a part of your social conversation or a list point in you profile on an already existing social platform (uhm twitter blog/profile link). I'm sure it's a good idea but pre-existing preferences to me in an app store would seem so specific ... not sure how much overlap in a wider market between specific apps and a large section of friends who bought that specific type of app that would list it or want that listed ... at least not as many as I would get from just asking in one of the pre-existing social networks. Just a thought.

bijan · 1 month ago

here's how I think about it

imagine if Facebook took away the newsfeeds and requests/notifications

apps wouldn't get the same distribution and developers would pay less attention.

developers love the size of the fb audience but they love the viral distribution infrastructure best of all.

im2b_dl · 1 month ago

I get it ...I just wonder if something like twitter ...or an "agnostic" dashboard like something out of Mozilla's new raindrop message service could do this... but I guess that is exactly what you are saying...