Will iPhone become the junkyard for Facebooks failed voice applications
With the recent release of the iPhone SDK and the obvious failure of 99% of all voice applications on Facebook excluding Skype and Alec Saunder’s FREE conference calls, are we going to see the same companies launch the same tired VOIP applications for the iPhone.
I think I can categorically guarantee this.
I am personally aware of 15 companies whose total push at the moment is to be the first VOIP application on the god like device.
With incredibly accurate data available on the take up of voice products on facebook and the obvious failure it has been I would suggest to these companies to push their resources in a different direction.
The first two companies out the gate with applications will probably Skype and Gizmo closely followed or perhaps even beaten by Truphone.
Unfortuantley the Apple SDK prohibits the use of the cellular side of the phone for triggering so its pure VOIP only when connected on wireless.
Big big fail for me.
I think you are so, so wrong here. I also think you are wrong about Facebook and “the big virtual phone book” that it is (in essence). Yes, nobody has cracked it properly. But nobody cracked search monitization properly until Google (remember AltaVista?). Sure the first efforts out the gate will be lame, but that’s to be expected. Think 3 years out, not 3 months out. In the mean time, watch the bodies at Bechers Brook.
Naturally you are right about that a lot of companies will be pushing for native iPhone apps. iPhone connototes huge PR these days.
These apps will all more or less deliver the same core service functionality but I believe key will be additional value adding and differentiating features. They will make or break them.
As far as Facebook, I agree with Paul on that it hasn’t been fully “cracked” yet and that the platform as such possess great potential.
VOIP is really still all about ‘toll bypass’ and free or ultra cheap calling; at least on the consumner end. on mobile devices it will be even more so as anyother approach actually limits the use of the phones built in functionality. consumers will not mind a sarifice to save money but anything else will be a very hard sell. to be really attaractive is needs to function whereever you have your phone not just in wifi hotspots. the biggest potential user base are the immigrents who spend money calling overseas; as often as not these are not computer users and limiting calling to within ‘hotspots’ will not appeal to this users when they can use the calling cards that they a familar with from a lnadline or pay phone just as easily. on the other hand being able to have a substanitial discount by making calls through the data connection could be a whole other story.
@paulsweeney
I disagree with you on the Voice applications acceptance on Social Networking. I mean, I don’t think you need 3 years for some apps to be embraced by the user. From a startup standpoint, you don’t have the time and money to wait so long. Also, the early trends don’t look promising. I did some analysis couple of days about voice apps. Check out my latest blog article. http://latestgeeknews.blogspot.com/2008/04/do-we-really-need-voice-apps-for.html . It doesn’t look promising. I agree with pat on Iotum’s free conference, these guys are promising.
Cheers,
Omfut
Omfut, I popped over to your blog and I would agree with everything you have to say there. And I know you won’t miss the point when I say that the sheer scale of the number of contact points, crossed by the number of modes, by the number of synchronous/asynchronous modes, etc. etc. means that there is a huge amount of data about to be released that relates to who you are, who you are connected to, and what you want to do. I don’t know what that opportunity is going to be exactly, but I can’t help but think that “communications” (as opposed to “voice apps”) will always be a human concern, and we will find ways to innovate if we are given access to decent raw materials.
@paulsweeney.
I agree with you on the potential of social graph data. There is huge oppurtunity for apps to ride on this social graph data. Nevertheless, Questions is, will that data be available to thirdparty developers or will it still be protected by walled garden social networking companies. I have my own doubt about dataportabilty and openid.
Cheers,
Omfut