The article makes note that just over 3 million of the 100+ million iOS devices are iPads. So what? It’s a nice data point to quote, but I fail to see the vale of judging a new computing platform in its infancy. Furthermore, we already know that Windows and Android will eventually follow suit with their own tablet operating systems or maybe even take another swing at building their own devices.

The absence of iPad apps from non-media brands has less to do with their waiting to see if the tablet form-factor will become widely adopted – it will – and more to do with their desire to deliver a meaningful experience to users. Thankfully, it appears that many brands and their agencies are taking hold of the opportunity to build a thoughtful app for this new, albeit familiar, computing platform rather than produce more “me-too” or novelty apps, of which the App Store already has enough.

Building iPad apps that consumers actually want to use simply takes more time than the typical two- to four-week effort needed to create one of the many uninspired “app version of our web site” apps (e.g. store locator, catalogs lacking e-commerce, etc.) circa 2008 and 2009. Case in point, we are currently working on iPad app initiatives for a number of brands, each with time requirements spanning between three to six months to deliver a “version 1.0″ app. If anything, it’s refreshing to see these brands consider what pain their app will alleviate for its intended end users.

In addition to the larger scope and complexity of today’s mobile apps, iPad apps offer a unique (though potential similar to the up-coming Android devices will be here for the 2010 holiday season) experience unlike that of any other touch device – yes, even iPhone or iPod touch. iPad offers a “flat” user experience, allowing most of an app’s functionality to be accessible from one screen, versus the iPhone’s or iPod touch’s user experience where a more hierarchical approach is required.

Here’s a fun exercise, try using a “Universal” app (app that takes full advantage of the technologies on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch with a single binary) such as Evernote on iPad, and then on iPhone; now consider which experience you found to be more enjoyable. For me, apps built for iPad offer a stickier experience and more utility… Well, unless a camera is involved, but let’s not go there.

As for Chris Cunningham’s (CEO and co-founder of Appssavv) remark of the brand app era being over, I just don’t see it. Given the significant number of early adopters and the consumer groups who eventually follow suit, why would non-media brands (especially the ones who profess to be concerned with “engagement”) not want to reach out and engage with these premium consumers (assuming these consumers are part of their target market of course)?

I’d love to hear which brands would you like to see extend their products or services to an app for iPad.

– Ryan

We are fortunate to have incredibly thoughtful readers who love to ask great questions! In the past, we would dialogue with readers and respond to their questions over email, but it recently dawned on us that readers’ questions, and our subsequent answers, are definitely worth sharing with the entire Über-blog community, hence the new “Ask an Übie!” section on the right side of your screen. Go ahead, give it a look.

One of the most frequently asked questions from our reader/developer community is how we manage to publish so many popular apps. That’s a tough question because the answer is, in all actuality, one heck of a moving target! But, I can say that one of the most crucial elements of the app publishing/marketing process is writing a great App Store description. Oddly enough, many fantastic apps have terrible App Store descriptions – in spite of the importance – and are not capturing the maximum amount of potential downloads.

A good app with a bad App Store description is like having a Ferrari with worn out tires – sure, your app may be doing okay in terms of downloads and ratings, but why not take every opportunity to inform potential users of your app’s capabilities and strengths? Even worse, when users do not understand what your app does (and doesn’t do), but download it anyway, they often give poor ratings or reviews because the app did not do what they expected. We’ve learned these lessons the hard way; trust us when we say there are enough challenges trying to make your app standout among the other +230,000 apps on the App Store. If you’re a developer, please, repeat after me, “I solemnly swear that I will never again write a weak-sauce App Store description that could jeopardize my app’s well-being or potential success!”

Great! With that behind us, we can now explore how to write a description that produces downloads. Whether your app is a pragmatic solution to a simple problem or a deeply-engaging user experience, I’m going to give you a framework for writing effective App Store copy. But, before we even go there, first we will understand the psyche and browsing habits of app users while shopping on the App Store.

[click image to enlarge or here to view on Flickr]

Now that you can see what App Store marketers are dealing with, we can move on to copy writing for utility- or experience-focused apps, which are the two most common types of apps on the app store.

“Utility” Apps

We’ll start with the easy stuff. Apps aimed at accomplishing one specific task or feat are some of the most popular iPad and iPhone apps; my personal favorites – I’ll use non-Übermind apps so that you can be sure this post isn’t marketing propaganda – are Evernote (for iPad, iPhone, and Mac), Reeder (for iPad and iPhone), and Convertbot (for iPhone). Evernote is my multi-platform notetaking solution, Reeder is the phenomenal Google Reader-reader, and Convertbot is an easy tool for calculating unit conversions. Though each app also boasts a wonderful user experience, each is focused on solving a true need, just like any other tool.

Here at Übermind, we developed a super-simple, free golf course search and scorecard app named Golfr (view on the App Store), which allows golfers to, well, search for golf courses and score their rounds. Even though Golfr design offers a beautiful user interface, it is a utility app at heart, made evident thanks to its laser-like focus towards accomplishing only a few golf-related tasks with the utmost excellence and the least amount of user input.

Golfr’s App Store description:

Golfr is the best scorecard and course search app. And yes, Golfr is free.

Whether you’re keeping your score or looking for a new golf course to play, you’ll love the beauty and simplicity of Golfr for iPhone or iPod touch. Spend more time focusing on your golf game and less time looking at your phone.

SCORECARD

● Rotate iPhone to landscape to see “Scorecard” view
● Slide finger up or down to adjust your score
● Works for 9- and 18-hole courses
● Saves all your rounds

PERSONALIZED SUMMARY & STATS

● Stats for a specific course or all courses played
● Stats by hole type – par 3, par 4, or par 5
● Track number of birdies, eagles, bogeys, and double-bogeys
● Automatically created from saved scorecards

COURSE SEARCH

● Over 19,000 courses
● Search by golf course name, city, or state
● Search for golf courses near your current location
● Save your favorite courses for easy access

COURSE DETAILS

● Green fees (standard, weekday, twilight, etc.)
● Phone number, web site, etc.
● Distance and par for every hole
● Rating and slope for each tee
● Map directions to every course

OFFERS

● Free service allowing courses to create promotions exclusively for Golfr users
● Courses using Offers show up first in user searches
● Free service to both courses and users
● Email info@golfrapp.com if you are a golf facility looking to create a promotion

Have a great idea or suggestion for Golfr? Send to feedback@golfrapp.com – your feedback helps drive the features that we will add to Golfr.

Thanks for checking out Golfr!

In terms of App Store copy, there is nothing more important than the first line or two of a description, which happens to be text that potential users will see when they land on your app’s App Store page. There is no time for run-on sentences or verbose diction.

Be concise. Be simple. Be honest. A well-know philosopher once said, “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?’” Oh Pooh, you silly old bear.

“Golfr is the best scorecard and course search app. And yes, Golfr is free.” Notice how the opening line of Golfr’s description adheres to our the “concise-simple-honest” rule. Sure, you can debate “best,” but I’ll bet you a new iPhone 4 that you cannot find a better free scorecard and search app on the App Store (and soon to be Android Market).

Again, we developed Golfr to be simple and useful, thus, its copy should reflect its utilitarian nature. The App Store – fortunately – does not afford us marketers much in the way of creative expression through font. Can you imagine what it would look like if it did? It would be the MySpace of the app market world… oh man, I think I just threw up a little.

“Experience” Apps

So, you built an app that provides users with fun, innovative, or unique experience; perhaps your app has a spiffy user interface or turns a difficult task into a enjoyable one. Either way, your App Store copy needs to convey the essence of your app’s user experience.

If the your app’s experience would predominantly be described as fun, then use fun language to interest potential users. If your app appeals to a niche set of users, then employ their jargon. Here’s a personal example: I happen to be obsessed with the “Getting Things Done“ (GTD) methodology, and when it was time to download a productivity app for iPhone and Mac, I bought OmniFocus – easily one of my top three favorite apps – because its developer was able to tell my just how great this app worked with the GTD methodology by using terminology that a GTD user would understand. Now, if they would just get the iPad version out, I would be a happier man!

Here’s how we decided to convey the fun, approachable photo editing experience of Masque (view on the App Store), our photo “enhancing” (instead of a over-featured Photoshop wannabe) app for iPad:

Add one or many striking effects to your Facebook, Flickr, or iPad Photo Library photos through fun touch interactions!

“The app is an amazing photography tool for iPad”
– TUAW.com

“It works intuitively and looks great”
– Engadget.com

“Masque is the ‘fun’ one”
– AppCraver.com

Make your photos pop with Masque for iPad!

Key Features:

● One-touch importing from your Facebook, Flickr, or Photo Library
● Paint effects on with your finger and unleash your creativity
● Layer multiple effects on top of each other to achieve stunning results
● Share photos to Facebook, Flickr, Photo Library, or email to your friends
● Automatically saves so that you can always continue from where you left off

Advanced Features:

● Use gradients to apply and fade effects across the entire photo – just like real camera filters!
● Adjust the size, opacity and softness of your brush or eraser
● Invert tool magically removes an effect from where it is and applies it to where it’s not

A fun and revolutionary photo app at an amazing price!

● Watch video demos of Masque at www.MasqueApp.com
● Send your feedback, ideas, etc. to feedback@masqueapp.com
● Send your support or help emails to support@masqueapp.com

We owe a huge “Thank you!” to all the users who have sent feedback – we’re working hard to bring your ideas to future versions of Masque as soon as possible!

You’ll notice the diction in Masque’s description is much more animated than in Golfr’s. Yes, Masque is a photo enhancing tool, but it’s the swoopy finger gestures and unique Multi-Touch interaction paradigm which make Masque an smile-conjuring experience.

In addition, I included quotes from popular app review sites to establish credibility. Quotes from non-bias third parties can be invaluable when it comes to marketing your app. For example, Phil Schiller (Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple) told the NY Times that one of his favorite iPhone apps was our very own Best Camera; as you would imagine, Phil’s endorsement had an huge impact on sales of this already popular app.

Last but not least, I always thank our users and let them know how to contact us. This isn’t a ploy to win their hearts or some Jedi mind game – far from it. At Übermind, we thank our users as much as possible because they have been incredibly good to us and we feel extremely fortunate to be able to roll out of bed (assuming we sleep of course), come to the Über-offices in Fremont, and spend time working on exciting technology with such enjoyable people.

Oh, and thanks for the great question – this may have been the longest Über-blog post yet!

– Ryan

In this post, I’ve detailed a few benefits of Evernote, which I use religiously on iPad, iPhone, Mac OSX, and the web, as well as how I utilize it.

This elephant never forgets. If you have never heard of Evernote, today may in fact change your life. Evernote is a free suite of mobile, web, and desktop applications for notetaking and archival purposes. What makes these apps so powerful are their ability to sync with the Evernote server, allowing users to confidently sync and save all important notes across all their devices.

I use Evernote for all of my notetaking, and when I say “all,” I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Case in point, some of my favorite uses for Evernote include taking notes during a biz-dev meetings at Übermind or board meetings, capturing whiteboards, journaling, and remembering a new favorite bottle of wine. Check out these other great uses via Evernote’s site.

Evernote’s most impressive feature is its use of OCR (optical character recognition), which is the technology that allows Evernote to recognize and read any images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text. Download Evernote, capture a picture containing text into your Evernote, then try searching for it. Voila! This feature works so good that it might has well be magic. Here’s an example:

Another killer use for Evernote is saving articles, sites, etc. directly from your preferred web browser – I prefer Chrome due to its speed and minimalistic design. Looking at an article or site you’d like to save? Simply highlight the sections you’d like to be able to view in Evernote and then click the bookmarklet icon to send whatever you highlight and the URL directly into your Evernote. View the Evernote extension for Chrome here.

To fully unleash Evernote, I chose to give up handwritten notes, journals, etc.; I miss the subtle nuances of putting my Mont Blanc to paper, but, the searchability, shareabililty, and speed of a streamlined notetaking workflow are compelling enough reasons to forego the use pen and paper.

If anything, Evernote has made my handwriting all the more more meaningful as I only use pen and paper for various types of personal correspondence, such as “thank you” notes and birthday cards.

I hope this post (and the upcoming posts) will be helpful to you. Should you have any questions regarding Evernote, please do not hesitate to leave it as a comment or email me.

Happy notetaking!

– RP

UPDATE: 05/28/2010

Since posting on this topic, a handfull of people have asked me about Evernote’s terms of service and privacy policy. Privacy seems to be all the rage these days, and for good reason, but there seems to be a growing paranoia around the level of access that these amazing products / services have with our information.

Maybe I’m crazy, but I really do not care if Evernote views my favorite wine labels, reads my journal, or peruses my meeting notes (although, there may be an issue with the NDA’s I’m currently under now that I’m thinking about it). Nor do I care if Google sees the email confirmation for my airline ticket to Uganda (more on that soon) or whether Apple knows the music I’ve saved to my MobileMe’s iDisk.

But I have my limits, and you should too. I do not trust sensitive information (bank accounts, passport, passwords, etc.) to these “heavily-termed” platforms; there are better software products, such as 1Password (which I will cover in an upcoming “WMP” post), for critical information. I’m also a firm believer in strong passwords, something 1Password is well-equipped to handle.

I love these incredible products / services – they’re powerful, easy to use, and bring a tremendous amount of convenience to my life. But, like every tool, they’re good for some things and not so good for others.

I think not.

The deck was for a lecture I gave this past weekend at the University of Washington’s downtown campus. My lecture covered mobile marketing as it relates to next generation mobile platforms, including the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Obviously Hopefully attending my lecture provided some additional value beyond what you will gain from the deck below. Either way, there is some good stuff in there, which I hope you’ll find helpful!

If you would like a PDF of the presentation, click here to download a copy from SlideShare.

Happy Monday!

– RP

If you actually went through the chart, you should just do yourself a favor and buy one. If not for yourself, then do it for me and app-masters I work with; they’ve already developed a few beautiful apps, including this one, oh, and this one too!

More to come from me on the iPad, though I must admit that I’m having too much fun using it to actually form any worthwhile opinions.

– RP

If you haven’t read it, you may want to. The reach of HB 3191 goes far beyond just us “geeks;” any company in Washington that uses software customization services (e.g. hires someone to design or tweak their website, their student record system, their electronic medical records, etc.) will now have to pay sales tax for those services.

Here are the two scenarios that HB 3191 inflicts on all Washington companies that hire contractors for their software-related needs:

Scenario 1. If they hire an in-state consultant or consulting company, the in-state consultant or consulting company will have to collect the sales tax and pay it to the state.

Scenario 2. If they hire an out-of-state consultant, they will have to pay use tax (paid in lieu of sales tax) on their next tax bill. Again, ANY company in Washington will suddenly have to pay at least 6.5% more for these services.

Damaging the long-term health of our state economy is not an acceptable solution for remedying short term problems. In order for Washington’s economy to thrive, our businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, need the support from our elected officials.

The  Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) has been lobbying hard to delete this provision since it came up last Monday. As members of Washington’s high-tech community, I have to express my adamant opposition to the proposed  House Bill 3191, Part 15 (starts on page 90), again, which proposes to apply sales tax to “custom software” and “customization of prewritten software.”

To be abundantly clear, any company in Washington will suddenly have to pay at least 6.5% more for custom software services. Here are a few of the important points that surround this thoughtless bill:

• “Professional Service,” not “Retail Sales” – custom software is a professional service no different than the services rendered by attorneys, engineers, management consultants and other similar professions; reclassifying custom software to a “retail service” is simply not logical
• Increases an Already Heavy Tax Burden – requiring custom software companies to charge their customers state sales tax will increase the costs and taxes for all types of Washington businesses
• Increases Offshoring – large customers of custom software companies will seek to avoid cost increases from state sales tax by using offshore providers, which will lead to job loss among Washington’s custom software providers
• Businesses Will Leave – custom software providers may decide to relocate their offices to a neighboring state to avoid the burden of collecting sales tax revenue for the state
• Headache for Consumers – companies that use out-of-state custom software providers will be burdened by use tax, which must be paid in lieu of state sales tax that out-of-state providers do not charge
• Endless Ambiguity –  the Dept. of Revenue and taxpayers will find themselves looped into endless discussions and arguments over tax liability; for example, should a web design firm be considered a “custom software” provider?
• Poor Classification – unlike sellers of “digital goods” (e.g. MP3’s from Amazon), the majority of custom software providers are not set up to receive payments from clients via credit card; implementing new e-commerce systems allowing sales tax collection will, again, be burdensome and costly

Not only is House Bill 3191 bad for all consumers of custom software services, it is also highly out of line with the positions of all the other 49 states. Although I’m not a tax attorney, any research that I’ve done has failed to find any state currently charging sales tax on custom software services. What are you thinking, Washington?

Thanks again for taking the time to read this important information. If you share my belief that this legislation would be damaging to the people of the great state of Washington, then I humbly ask that you please contact your state Representative and state Senator today to express your opposition to taxing custom software programming services.

In addition, please pass the message on to the sponsors of this bill: Representative Hunter (hunter.ross@leg.wa.gov) and Speaker of the House Frank Chopp (chopp.frank@leg.wa.gov).

Thanks!

– RP

Fortunately for me, the object of my affection –  the mobile / social software that we all know and love – has taken center stage for the time being and is causing quite a stir among brands, ad agencies, and consumers. Thanks to Jeff’s generosity with both his time and thoughts, I was prepared for this opportunity to help the world better understand the iPad and see it for the amazing technology that it is… err, will be.

Case in point, I had the opportunity to share a few of my thoughts regarding the the iPad with CNN.   If you had ever told me that my name would appear within a few lines of Steve Jobs, I would have never believed you. Still it’s important to keep in mind that the reason I made it into CNN’s iPad article is that someone of greater importance did not return the reporter’s email or phone call – there’s always a bigger fish in a bigger pond. Regardless, this little fish is still pretty excited about his moment in the spotlight of “iPad apps likely to be bigger, pricier“, and just a few lines below Steve at that!

From a technical standpoint, there’s a reason everyone wants to talk to us. At Übermind, we’ve been working with Apple and the iTunes Store since our founding in 1999. Most of the world’s iPhone (and now iPad) developers have been working with the iPhone’s SDK (software development kit) since late 2007 / early 2008 at best, but our developers have been working with the languages that power this platform since before Übermind was even a thought in minds of our founders. In other words, working alongside the experts here at Übermind has really been quite the blessing and ongoing learning experience – I cherish ever day here at our offices along the Ship Canal in Fremont, Seattle’s quirkiest neighborhood.

So, what mysteries can your passions lend you credibility in? Explore this question; it’s been a life changing one for me, and I’m confident it can be for you as well.

Happy Monday!

– RP

]]> http://ryanapeterson.com/vocation/ipad-cnn-steve-and-me/2010/02/feed/ 0 http://ryanapeterson.com/mobile/ipad-mobile/ipa-apple-tablet/2010/02/ http://ryanapeterson.com/mobile/ipad-mobile/ipa-apple-tablet/2010/02/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:13:25 +0000 Ryan http://ryanapeterson.com/?p=466 I’ve responded to the “What do you think about the iPad?” question so many times I figured it would be worthwhile to collect all my thoughts and rants here.

Pros:

• the new form-factor (9.7” screen) is awesome
• giving a net-book-sized device iPhone functionality (Accelerometer, Multi-Touch, etc.) is awesome
• 10 hour battery is awesome
• it’s an Apple, so you can probably assume the touch pad will be as good or better than the iPhone’s keyboard, which is… you guessed it, awesome
• more iPad features here

Cons:

• the name, “iPad” – fail
• lack of ability to run third party apps in the background
• the fact that I don’t have one yet

Not only will the iPa… Apple tablet work, but it “has” to work. Apple has set the bar too high with the iPhone to come out with a “so-so” tablet product that does not “need” to exist… yet.

5-10 years ago, we all had desktops. Today, laptops are everywhere and are extremely powerful; many of our developers use MacBook Pros. Thus, just as the laptop has replaced the desktop, the tablet will be our day-to-day, emailing / video-watching / e-reading go-to in 2-5 years.

No mouse? No desk space? No problem! The form-factor is great, and, it’s fairly low maintenance compared to a device like my 15” MacBook Pro. With the iPad, you could wake up in the morning to your favorite music, read your preferred news source, Facebook-away as you ride the bus (if you do) to your place of work, easily share work space (making our office space’s footprint smaller in terms of total square feet) thanks to the docking system, and so much more – all from one device.

In addition, some things seem like they will be easier on a tablet; I’m looking forward to utilizing the iPad’s Multi-Touch UI when building my slide decks in Keynote.

Just as it was with the iPhone, once users get through the “learning curve” of accomplishing certain tasks / functions via gestures (shake, rotate, etc.) instead of using conventional methods (e.g. mouse, scroll wheel, etc.), the old, “standard” devices will seem so much less enjoyable.

Great user experiences (UX) are driven by great user interfaces (UI). When great UI is backed by quality product, you have the recipe for success; Apple and its iPhone have been the benefactors of this principle and I foresee them doing it again with the iPad. It’s worth noting that great UI cannot sustain bad product, and only a few products have ever been truly great (or necessary) enough to make it past their near-unforgivable UI.

Last but not least, with regard to apps running in the background, I would LOVE if I could simultaneously run iChat as I check my emails. However, I often wonder if my use of a large monitor in addition to my MacBook Pro’s screen and Spaces – effectively giving me eight screens to work off of – really makes me more efficient, or simply more distracted.

Oh look, a bird!

– RP

]]> http://ryanapeterson.com/mobile/ipad-mobile/ipa-apple-tablet/2010/02/feed/ 1 http://ryanapeterson.com/mobile/metrics/too-much-hype-for-one-percent/2010/01/ http://ryanapeterson.com/mobile/metrics/too-much-hype-for-one-percent/2010/01/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:41:29 +0000 Ryan http://ryanapeterson.com/?p=412 It’s true, mobile Web consumption (not to be confused with mobile Web site consumption) is up by a 110% in the U.S. and 148% worldwide based on the measurement of pageviews via mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android-based phones, and so on. But here’s the kicker, even with this growth, mobile web consumption only accounts for a mere 1.26% of all Web traffic in the U.S. and a not-so-staggering 0.99% worldwide.

Thrilling, isn’t it? Perhaps this chart showing the mobile share of pageviews by continent from the folks at Quantcast may get your attention:

Mobile Web, 1% of worldwide Web traffic – BFD. Right?

Well, take a moment to consider that in spite of this relatively small piece of the proverbial global Web traffic pie, all the buzz, hype, and a significant amount of marketing dollars seem to be going towards users who create Web traffic via their mobile devices; I bet you’re reading this on your iPhone right now. Every week, brands, ad agencies and entrepreneurs come to us with business plans / proposals / RFPs and are looking to spend invest serious amounts of capital into what they believe is next “killer” app for their industry or vertical.

Guess which platform serves as the foundation for most of these interactions – here, I’ll give you a hint:

Thanks goes out to the mobile metric mavens at AdMob, latest winner of the Google lottery, for the graph above, which breaks down manufacturer share of mobile web traffic by region. Even though there is a lot of blue, it’s important to note that Android is doing a great job at penetrating the market, especially in North America where the Android OS grew throughout the year and ended Q4 2009 with 27% share of mobile web traffic by operating system.

Still scratching your head as to why so many people are spending so much time and money on these devices / device users and their relatively insignificant share of Web traffic? Well, here are my thoughts for your amusement:

• We are in the last hours of B.T. (before tablet) and, if the rumors are true, Apple’s new tablet device will run iPhone OS, which will give a major boost to mobile OS Web consumption as long as it’s not on AT&T
• Time and money are best spent where they will yield the greatest return – well, only if the way in which they are spent / invested is ethical, moral, and provides a real value-add to others – i.e. people with these devices are the “premium” users, spending the most money and thus providing the greatest return

I’m going to stop there given that the tablet is set to launch within the hour, thus rendering any further speculation on my part totally pointless.

Catch you on the flip side…

– RP

Flurry goes on to explain these stats in greater detail:

While Flurry estimates that Nexus One was outsold by Droid by more than 12 times, myTouch 3G by 3 times and iPhone 3GS by a staggering 80 times, it’s worth noting there are significant differences in the marketing, distribution and perception of the device as revolutionary vs. evolutionary. In short, key business decisions and other factors related to the Nexus One launch make an “apples-to-apples” comparison difficult.

As a product, the Nexus One boasts the most advanced Android OS to date as well as unique features, such as Google Voice and Google Maps. However, potentially due to the heightened “promise” created by early buzz, the handset has ultimately fallen short on sales expectations. Without the “wow factor” now expected with each new challenger to the iPhone, especially the first smartphone with Google’s own branding, demand generation has been modest.

I agree with Flurry’s assessment above and later in the post where they note the challenge Google faced in not having any brick and mortar channels to push the Nexus One through. Google clearly knows search, but they seem to have a thing or two to learn when it comes to selling physical goods to consumers.

Perhaps it doesn’t really matter; I would wager that most of us use Google’s apps, regardless of the platform, e.g. iPhone, Android, etc.

To those of you who are kind enough to read my ramblings, what are your thoughts? Why are sales so low? Was Santa (or your preferred fictional, gift-giving character) doling out mobile devices this year, leaving the potential Nexus One customer pool dry? Something else?

Much Love,

– RP