Everyone is buzzing about Merrkat and Periscope. They are trying to decide if Meerkat will beat Periscope, Periscope will beat Meerkat. or if there is even a market for either of them. I think that’s all good and fun, but I have a very different question which I think is significantly more important.
How do You Launch An App on Only One Platform?
When the app stores first came around in 2008, things were new and there were faaaaaaaar less users to justify both platforms. A choice needed to be made among some other reasons I am sure. I get all that. But think about how fast things move today in 2015. I think it’s fair to assume that there is a nice mix of savvy users on both Android and Apple.
So a new product that launches, which wants to corner a market, and compete with the big players like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, will need to be significantly more set up from day one. You need to appeal to both Apple and Android, get them bought in, and become THE app for that niche.
Launching Only In the App Store
But instead, both Meerkat and Periscope launch the product ONLY on Apple which leaves out Android user. I know Meerkat has an Android viewer, but that’s kinda lame. It seems like no one has done it yet, but it boggles my mind why someone hasn’t built the same technology for Android yet. And what about Periscope. They are owned by friggin twitter. Twitter likely has a huge team of Android developers, unlike Meerkat. How hard could this be for them to create Periscope for Android? I imagine they could do this overnight! (I might be exaggerating)
My two cents regarding the actual technology
It could be cool. I have seen both in action but because I am on Android, I can’t ACTUALLY use it myself. But I get the concept and I don’t necessarily know what gap this was filling in my life. It certainly makes live streaming easier, but I have not yet thought to myself, “wow, if only I had a way to live stream myself taking a dump” or “I really wish people could watch me make my way through this grocery store and hear me grumble about why the moved the cereal section to where the canned food section was“.
Ultimately, I think celebrities and other influential people will use this successfully, because people tend to care more about what they have to say.
I just don’t think my life is that interesting.
But I digress…
Back to My Original Question
What is the thought process for launching on only one platform? I truly don’t get it. Can someone explain the logic to me?
