It’s out! You first heard about Taposé almost exactly one year ago in a Kickstarter spotlight article. I pledged, and was one of 1274 people who helped get the project funded. After a development process that lasted until December for the initial version, the app was submitted to Apple on December 5th. And then it got rejected. Then fixed, almost approved, rejected again, re-fixed, resubmitted, and various mixes of the above in a soap opera-like fashion that has to be read about on Taposé’s blog to be believed. Backers got tired, the Taposé team got tired, and I got tired – to the point where it’s one of the big reasons why Apple products don’t really interest my much anymore, personally. Over a year since the project was posted, and almost four months after Apple first got it for review, the app is out.
Taposé is the kind of app that has to be seen, so the video I created above will do most of the talking this time. Bottom line though, I’m impressed. I’ve seen some negative comments, but frankly, if every app release was as good out of the gate as this one, the world would be a better place. It has so many uses as it is right now, and so much potential that can still be tapped. Better magnification mode and integrated document scanning using the iPad 3′s camera or photos from the library would be at the top of my list, and I’m sure others have wishes and hopes for this app too. I truly think this is one of the biggest app releases since the iPad came out, at least in its field. At $3 it’s simply a must-have app.
I totally agree the app restrictions and weird hoops developers have to go through are frustrating and ridiculous. But here’s the reality, there aren’t any apps like this on my Android device. There aren’t any amazing apps like this on Android. And they are going to make so much money on iOS that we aren’t going to see them do major development on Tegra 3 devices that no one wants (I own the Transformer Prime as an enthusiast but that’s reality). I wish we could have everything be everywhere with choice, but I’ll have to continue to buy iPads to get revolutionary software.
You know just as well as I do that Apple usually don’t take this long to approve an app and usually the rules aren’t very restricting at all, heck they often eat trough stuff they shouldn’t.
While it sure shouldn’t have taken this long for t to be approved there is a reason for some of the time it took, the app is absolutely unique, no one has done an app like this before so I can understand the process taking a bit longer. I’m actually surprised it got approved with so any of the originally planned functions, being able to use a browser and other tools together with a notebook, splitting the screen in what’s basically two apps, I thought that would be an instant no no.
Actually I know a handful of note taking apps already that have a browser built in. Even some that have the freehand lasso selection feature. No issue there then, you’d think, not that Apple is very consistent. What apple had issues with was the widget-like calendar on the pull-up menu. No matter what though, 4 months is ridiculous, and I think it’s scary that Apple thinks it can treat developers like this. Tapose is such a huge app release I frankly expect Apple to pick up the devs in a limo when it’s time to submit updates. The iPad isn’t exactly themost technically superior device on the market, what makes it good is apps. I find it shocking that APple treats its most important resource like this.
And while it doesn’t normally take this long, it does take long for every update, ever new app. Days, or a week, is a long time compared to instant publishing. I can even support the need for initial review, but the rules are too strict, and updates should really be made easier to do. Finally, 4 months is just so way beyond the realm of anything that is even semi acceptable that there’s no excuse for it in my mind. It’s not the only such app either, still waiting for OnLive’s main app – android got it last year and as far as I know it was submitted to Apple in december
I agree with what Guthrie says here, Android simply doesn’t have apps like this. That’s a huge issue, and I can’t believe how long it takes developers to get on board with Android. I’m still waiting for a note taking app that combines PDF annotation with a full set of note taking tools, any such app, for Android. iOS has literally dozens. EVen so, with everything Apple has done in the last year that has affected me personally, I simply have serious issues with giving them any more money. I like my iPad 2 and will keep it, just won’t get the iPad 3
While Apple has restrictions for apps on the App store. Cydia doesn’t. I seriously don’t get why unique applications like this skip the Cydia store. People do buy stuff off of Cydia. And while I get why Andreas would hate Apple (Seriously, why wouldn’t he – Apple launches a tablet once a year, other manufacturers, tons in a quarter, Apple and iOS isn’t good for his business).
On the issue of Android not having such applications is because of the stereotyped mindset of “most” Android users – they don’t pay for apps. And an app like this can’t make money through ads, since each and every bit of real-estate on the screen would be required for this to function properly.
It was revealed today through court papers that Asus has shipped 80000 Transformer Primes. This is largely regarded as the best Android tablet on the market. That’s a stark statement of why we aren’t going to get a rich application group for Android. I get the sneaking suspicion we’ll see Google moving more to chrome as they’ve been so apathetic on the tablet front.
I have to disagree with a couple of the things you said about Android tablets. When you say 80,000 Transformer Primes shipped, and best Android tablet on the market you are missing some things. There are over 12 million Android tablets that have been activated. While the Transformer is an awesome tablet hardware wise, it is no where near the share leader for Android tablets. I wouldn’t say that is why Android doesn’t get the good apps right away, if at all.
Now I also know that Apple sold 3 million new iPads (not called the iPad 3, just the new iPad) in one weekend. Now I would be willing to bet that most of those were to current iPad owners. The iPad has been around long enough for iPad 1 owners to be ready for a new one if they didn’t buy the 2. You don’t see too many Android tablet owners ready to replace their current tablet. Why? Because there hasn’t been huge advancements in hardware since they bought that Android tablet. They haven’t been around long enough. But regardless of why they bought them, Apple had 25% of total Android activations that they sold in 1 weekend. That’s a little crazy to think about. Developers follow the money.
I agree that most Android users have the mindset of not wanting to pay for their apps. I talked to a friend tonight that balked when I mentioned I bought a game for fifty cents. He’s never spent a dime more than his bill on his phone. A lot of Android users expect free apps. Since there isn’t a ton of money in the Android market, that means developers won’t make an app if they don’t know they could get paid. The developers are gonna follow the money. Right now they make Apple apps first, and if they have time, then comes an Android app. I personally have spent a good amount of money on apps, but I know the effort developers put in. I don’t mind spending a couple bucks for an app I would use often, but a lot of Android owners don’t think that way.
I tend to think that I walk that fine line between Android and Apple. I understand the dynamics, and get that people want different things out of their devices. Both of my personal devices are Android, and I will always go Android, but I will most likely be getting an iPad for work in the coming weeks. I’ll be getting that iPad because every piece of digital equipment I work with can be controlled by an iPad app, and none of them can be controlled by an Android app. I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is. And I will be ok with that iPad at work, because it will be serving it’s purpose for me.
I agree that the aversion to paying for apps is a bigger problem than numbers. It was just announced that the Galaxy Note has sold 5 million units, and while that’s not technically a full blown tablet, it shows the numbers that Android devices are seeing in some cases.
It seems to me that some Android users and some rooted iOS users think it’s some sort of feat to be able to get software for free, like they’re some sort of world class hackers for doing so. I’m completely the opposite, I very rarely use lite (free version) apps even if I’m not sure if I’m going to like the software. If I like it, I would buy it anyways, just to support the developer, and often that requires uninstalling a free version and setting up the paid one all over again. If I don’t like it, I’ll likely know within the 15 minute refund period and can reverse it in one click. In fact I just bought the full version of ChromeMarks a few hours ago, there was a lite version but I never even bothered to see what the difference was, as it was one of those cases where I ether love it or hate it – in that case love it.
In the end, going for the lite apps and using pirated versions just hurt the users as fewer apps get released. I wrote about an app called Truecaller on Pocketables a week ago (http://www.pocketables.net/2012/03/truecaller-lets-you-see-whos-calling.html) and was surpsised to see the different pricing plans for the various OSes, with the Android, Symbian, and Windows Mobile versions of the app being the most feature rich with the Windows Phone and iOS versions being less so – and yet the Android version was the cheapest, being free. The Symbian and Windows Mobile versions were $5, and the iOS version $1, despite the latter being seriously under-featured as a result of Apple’s lockdowns. I don’t know if giving Android users all the features for free and charging everyone else is a way of showing favoritism or if the company has simply given up getting money out of that OS. The former would be great, the latter a catastrophe in the long run.