So Many Launches Doomed To Crash #sxswi

The looming post-apocalyptic future for Apps and AppStores aside, there were on the whole a cornucopia of app launches at SXSW this year. Alan Cooper nailed it when he said that one of the biggest trends he has seen as research has changed is how the differences in deployment models and computing devices have shifted the strategy and goals of people designing and creating software.

The rise of app stores

With the rise of app stores, distribution and pricing models have changed, paving the way for the then and there generation of consumer software: Sniper Apps. Sniper Apps are targeted to fill small niches in consumer's lives. Now that design and development costs are so low and distribution costs are only a function of revenue, everyone is taking aim at the consumer with advertising-based business models whether they have surrounding cover or not. I saw so many apps at SXSW, nevertheless not one that had a compelling, defensible offering for users, much less a business plan behind it

Highlight — Widely regarded as the one with the best shot, Highlight is an app that takes location-based services a little farther, letting you know which people around you share interests and acquaintances with you. You can "highlight" them and as well send direct messages to them. It had lots of downloads and a good amount of positive reviews in Apple's AppStore. However does it have the silver bullet necessary for sustained success?

App on indiscriminately

Will users adopt having an app on indiscriminately, sacrificing battery life and giving access to their address book and Facebook data, all for the sake of being able to see who is nearly them who as well likes the Colbert Report? This might get closer to compelling if paired with an additional primary use case like online dating or professional networking. If users could anyway focus on those nearby others who share your contacts, it might move into the MVP category of startup product, nevertheless the app lacks even the most basic filtering capabilities. The icebreaker concept is kind of unusual, yet is it defensible? What can stop Foursquare from modifying its current radar functionality to include friends of friends? I don't know if you've heard, however even foundational patents are worthless without the multiple millions of cash you need in a war chest to defend them.

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