Web apps make no sense to me [Archive]

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rotobadger

10-11-2007, 09:02 PM

I really don't see how a web application can be of any use...regardless of what it does. For example: Let's say I have a web application that figures how much I should pay for a tip at dinner. Using Edge...by the time I get the page to load, type in the data, hit the "calculate" button I could have figured it by hand easily. I just can't see how I would wait for ANY of the apps on the Apple site to load. Just checking my hotmail account takes about 3 or 4 minutes. Using the web over Edge just takes WAAAYYYY too long if you need the information now.

Not to mention if I want to use an application and have no access to internet (on a plane for example).

I really don't get it...

thesaint

10-11-2007, 09:23 PM

Yeah I have to agree with you on this. If we will ever have to use EDGE, then GOD save iPhone web app. EDGE is only good for regular browsing, aint good for these web apps.

jai325i

10-11-2007, 10:42 PM

i agree webapps make no sense. i hate them:angry:

seb481

10-11-2007, 10:50 PM

While I agree that there are some useless webapps out there (aka the tip calculator), there are some really cool ones such as the ebook one. It allows you to read any book from a selection of 20000 books. Pretty handy if you're waiting for a plane at the airport..

jai325i

10-11-2007, 10:53 PM

ok point taken. But what about when u get on the plane

seb481

10-11-2007, 10:58 PM

ok point taken. But what about when u get on the plane
ok, now you're being picky
When you get on the plane, you can go back to being a normal human being and read an actual book. How does that work for you? :tounge:

exilio

10-11-2007, 11:03 PM

WebApps suck*. Give me real 3rd party apps Apple! :angry:

* By suck I mean native apps run faster, don't require a good connection and often times, looks better. Some WebApps are quite friendly but should not be a replacement for native application development.

iCop

10-12-2007, 02:41 AM

What I don't understand is why the hell does Apple NOT have an iPhone friendly version of their site?!? I would think that the makers of the iPhone would want to show off not only how "cool" the scrolling with your finger can be, but how nicely a site can be navigated! Rolling out the new "webapps" portion of their site would have been a prime time to do this. I mean, this portion of the site is strictly for the iPhone!

In my opinion, the decision to not make the webapps site iPhone friendly is even more stupid than some of the webapps themselves. Come on Apple!!

gregneedham

10-12-2007, 06:53 AM

Skeletor

10-12-2007, 08:15 AM

Also, you bought the phone knowing it had edge. Why the hell do people complain about edge speeds when they knew what they were getting when they bough the phone? *shrug*

Lummers

10-12-2007, 08:18 AM

Or...divide the total by 10, then double it (that gives you 20%). If it's $42.00, the tip would be $8.40 (4.2 X 2). ;)

firefighterjmar

10-12-2007, 08:48 AM

greenjbhsd

10-12-2007, 09:49 AM

totally agree!! those were my exact first thoughts when i read about apples' list of web apps.
'
You are all completely missing the point! Web apps are cool and useful because Steve says they are. We need no other reason since Steve said it. Web apps rule and you all shall follow!!!

PS - I hate web apps. They are beyond lame. The biggest problem I see with them is that when I will want to use them they might not be available since I live in Utah. Many times when I travel I have no cellular service. Web apps are beyond worthless at that point, particularly since the phone does not hold what you loaded indefinitely, otherwise you could at least load something and come back to it when you want it. I find that often if I wait a few hours then come back to a page that the page is white (blank).

Redfor

10-12-2007, 09:56 AM

Also, you bought the phone knowing it had edge. Why the hell do people complain about edge speeds when they knew what they were getting when they bough the phone? *shrug*

What's going on is that people are used to using "Mobile Web" which is not true html. So there's alot less data. The iPhone is pretty much using full blown html (a full website). hence the slower speeds to get a website, but its a actuall full website insted of the mobile web garbage.

rotobadger

10-12-2007, 11:40 AM

Your overall point is good, but your example is a bit lame. How much you should you pay for a tip?

Let me time this: turn on phone, open calculator, enter dinner amount and multiply by .20 = tip.

8 seconds.

I was using the tip calculator simply as an example. I don't need a machine to tell me what 15 or 20 percent of a number is.

To the poster accusing me of complaining about edge speed: I'm not complaining about edge...I'm saying a native app makes far more sense and is far more useful than an app over edge.

DeathBySnuggles

10-12-2007, 11:57 AM

Also, you bought the phone knowing it had edge. Why the hell do people complain about edge speeds when they knew what they were getting when they bough the phone? *shrug*

He's not complaining about EDGE itself, he's simply stating that he finds the webapps useless because of their limitations. He's saying that having those apps available as online ONLY apps limits their usefulness as opposed to if they were apps living on the phone and available at all times regardless of internet connectivity.

Tinman

10-12-2007, 12:10 PM

Also, you bought the phone knowing it had edge. Why the hell do people complain about edge speeds when they knew what they were getting when they bough the phone? *shrug*
Nice attempt at diverting the discussion, but the topic is really about Web apps, not EDGE.

--
Mike

wolfpackfan

10-12-2007, 04:28 PM

Also, you bought the phone knowing it had edge. Why the hell do people complain about edge speeds when they knew what they were getting when they bough the phone? *shrug*
Because it's so much fun to complain. Sorry, but I couldn't help it :smile:.

wolfpackfan

10-12-2007, 04:32 PM

'
You are all completely missing the point! Web apps are cool and useful because Steve says they are. We need no other reason since Steve said it. Web apps rule and you all shall follow!!!

I read somewhere that Jobs said they would not allow native apps because of the chance that it would cause the entire AT&T network to crash. I'm sorry but to me this is the height of stupidity. AT&T also supports Treo's, the Blackjack, BB's, etc. and all allow native apps; so why is the iPhone more sensitive to running native apps that it could cause the entire network to crash? How stupid does the man think we are?

Tinman

10-12-2007, 04:36 PM

I read somewhere that Jobs said they would not allow native apps because of the chance that it would cause the entire AT&T network to crash. I'm sorry but to me this is the height of stupidity. AT&T also supports Treo's, the Blackjack, BB's, etc. and all allow native apps; so why is the iPhone more sensitive to running native apps that it could cause the entire network to crash? How stupid does the man think we are?

Stupid enough not to realize that the iPod Touch, which is locked up the same as the iPhone, doesn't even have a phone. :tounge::tounge::tounge:

--
Mike

akophone

10-12-2007, 04:36 PM

Tinman

10-12-2007, 04:40 PM

"Stupid" enough to help create the iPhone, Mac computers, iTunes, iPods.... Well, he also, of course, released the firmware update 1.1.1! And the web apps and not releasing SDK. Other than that, I think he's a genius IMHO....

I don't know who you are replying to but I didn't say anything about Steve Jobs being stupid.

--
Mike

greenjbhsd

10-12-2007, 05:42 PM

No, I don't think that SJ is stupid either, really he is the king of spin. He really can sell anything at all. The thing that he said was stupid was a single app on the phone bringing down the ATT network. Currently on Windows mobile there are tons of 3rd party apps, not seeing any trouble there. So what is so special about the apple ones that he knows about that we don't?

pn.md

10-12-2007, 05:58 PM

I don't know who you are replying to but I didn't say anything about Steve Jobs being stupid.

--
Mike

Steve Jobs is not stupid, Mike! J/K I know you didn't say that. :wink: But he is stubborn and forward thinking sometimes to a fault! Regarding web apps, not everyone works at 1 Infinite Loop where I'm certain wi-fi is diffuse. I'm sure Steve believes web apps may be the future but it's clunky on Edge.

Steve has always taken the path less traveled by and it HAS made all the difference but it's a lonely one until the world catches up. Having been a Mac fanboy since late's 80's, some of the things Apple has done was infuriating. Apple adopted the CD drive and eliminated the 3.5" floppy drive. It was forward thinking but at the time it was a pain to transfer documents because CD's were expensive. But the best example is the ONE button mouse! Steve stuck by his guns and kept the crippled one button mouse for years. I have 3 unopened mice which came with my Mac desktops. I had to use a an ugly/non-matching Windows mouse! :wink:

IMO, we will not be getting cut & paste and few other things people are wishing for. These features could've been firmwared easily by now. It will either be because Steve feels it doesn't complement his overall vision of the iphone. Or he'll release these features with future iphones to make you upgrade. For example, when the PC desktop GHz speed race was on years ago and surpassing 2GHz, Apple desktops were at 1Ghz. Apple was releasing slow incremental speed bumps to make us upgrade annually and we obediantly purchased them with a smile.

So Windows users, welcome to the world of Apple. IMO, Apple makes the best and most aesthetically "lickable" products but it's all about incremental improvements to sell more products. I've read that R&D for Apple products are planned 5 years in advance but why blow your wad and give it all to the consumers now. That would be stupid, ie- planned obsolescence for all things Apple.

Having said all that, this is the first time I've seen Apple give into consumer outcries. We Mac fanboys have been screaming for years about certain Mac "innovations" but no one cared because we were less than 5% of the market. But with iPhones/iPods being ubiquitous the mob pressure may be too great for Jobs to ignore. :laugh2::wink:

Remember the one button mouse...:tounge:

rotobadger

10-12-2007, 06:06 PM

So Windows users, welcome to the world of Apple. IMO, Apple makes the best and most aesthetically "lickable" products but it's all about incremental improvements to sell more products.

Please don't lick your computer. It's unsanitary.

pn.md

10-12-2007, 06:14 PM

Please don't lick your computer. It's unsanitary.

No worries Rotobadger. I'm dating someone now but if we broke up...:tounge:

pn.md

10-12-2007, 06:15 PM

BTW- where's iPhonian when we need him?:wink:

jjvaldez

10-13-2007, 06:21 AM

web apps are stupid......

Waveguy

10-13-2007, 07:48 AM

It's interesting to compare the iPhone now to the early days of personal computers. In those days, having any connection to the outside world was slow (anyone remember 300 baud modems?) and only useful for transferring small files and logging on to text-based services like CompuServe. Can you imagine what it would have been like if you had to use your modem to run apps, too?

Now, 30 years later, it's generally assumed that most desktop computers are connected to the Internet 24/7. But still, most apps are local and don't require an Internet connection to run. Even many Widgets under OS X run independently.

Apple argues that the iPhone is not a PC. But why bother including any apps that don't demand external connectivity (like a calendar) if that's the case? How often would you use the iPhone's calendar app if it only worked over a Wi-Fi or Edge connection?

Even if Apple provided a way to create Web apps that don't need Safari, which adds an extra layer of complexity, there are many places where I have no Edge or Wi-Fi service. And some of those (work, for example) are places where I most need added functions that only local apps can provide.

Just my three cents. :smile: