Despite the service’s recent technical issues, the entire blogosphere seems to ooh and ahh the value of Twitter. Even now writers and web gurus continue to hail its simple beauty: just today, TechCrunch blogger Gregor Hochmuth published a new article entitled “Why Twitter Hasn’t Failed: The Power of Audience.”
However, even though the Twitterati continue to sing its praises, some simple insights provided by the new iPhone Application Store suggest a different truth: that Twitter, and mobile social networking in general, has a long, long way to go to become mainstream.
Twitter: not even close to the top
A wealth of valuable information can be gleaned just by examining the Top 50 Paid and Free applications in the iTunes Application Store. If you take a look at either of these lists, you’ll notice not a single Twitter application ranks within the top 50: not Twitteriffic, not Twinkle, not even an official application provided by the service itself.
Although several of these applications ranked highly within the first few days of launch, it hasn’t taken long at all for them to sink to the middle of the dogpile, excavated only by search.
Applications haven’t fared rating-wise, either; for instance, no Twitter application exists with a rating greater than four stars, which is one simple indication Twitter users want more.1 There isn’t a wide assortment of Twitter-related applications, either.
What does this tell us?
So what do these observations suggest? Well, one thing is certain: Twitter isn’t mainstream, not by a long shot. To emphasize how far from the fore the service really is, consider how tech-forward an individual needs to be to purchase the iPhone in the first place– we can all agree that at this point in time, only the most gadget-crazed individuals have picked up the device. The fact that a Twitter application is not in the Top 50 for even this elite subsection means that it has a long way to go.2
What does this suggest to me? Despite the bloat we feel from the many pre-existing social networks, the numbers in the App store suggest that there is more than enough room for a king of social mobile networking or microblogging.
Alternative explanations
Of course, the fact that no Twitter application ranks in the Top 50 might be due to something besides a lack of mainstream adoption. Here are a few other reasons apps may be doing poorly:
- They’re subpar, and people don’t want to download them.
- It’s more convenient to use web apps (such as Hahlo).
- It’s more convenient to use Twitter’s native SMS support.
- Users just don’t want to Tweet with their iPhones.
I’m not sold on any of these, though, and even if these were the drawbacks keeping mainstream users from Tweeting, they’re drawbacks enough.
Why I don’t use Twitter iPhone apps
My personal reason I prefer not to use iPhone Twitter applications is twofold: one, I’m disenchanted with the service to begin with, and two, I’m not happy with any of the options that are out there right now.3
Do you Tweet on your iPhone or other mobile device? Can you suggest why you think Twitter may be a beached whale on the iPhone Application market?
- Of course, few iPhone applications have outstanding ratings, but I’ve complained about this before. [↩]
- The same can be said for other mobile social networking applications, too: Loopt, Whrrl, and more have all dropped way off the charts. It’s clear no one service is finding overwhelming success. [↩]
- I don’t like the advertisements on the free Twitterrific, Twinkle’s UI stinks, and I don’t like Twittelator’s GPS integration. [↩]
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Interesting, but there are lots of variables at play here (as you indicated) and it’s hard to say whether the lack of a hot Twitter app is a reflection on the popularity of Twitter or the quality of the apps. I have downloaded Twitterific, Twinkle and Twittelator for my iPod Touch, and I still prefer the web based HAHLO. Twitter is still great to use on the iPhone/Touch, but not necessarily with one of the above mentioned apps. They each have interesting merits, like Twinkle’s use of location, but in the end, at least for me, Hahlo has the most comprehensive feature set that’s important to me, and is the easiest for managing all aspects of Twitter, most importantly, @Replies and DM’s. I use twitter regularly from my Treo phone where my primary methods are Slandr and SMS. I am still baffled that Twitter’s own mobile site, m.twitter.com, still lacks access to Replies and DMs. Thanks for prompting the thoughts.
But why pay for the Twitter App when you can just SMS (which is very easy and nice on the iPhone) for free? It doesn’t really show you true use.
strike “pay for” for “download” just realized the app could be free
I find I only want to use Twitter on my iPhone because I want the camera and GPS to be a part of the equation. And the twitterlocal capabilty of Twinkle mixed well with all that. But there is a lot of room for improvement as one app usually has a feature the others don’t, meaning I have all three of the above apps to do one thing or the other. And this is because Twitted doesn’t natively support those things.
I think your observations are an indictment of social networking in general.
Haha, I think this is my first comment!
I just thought I’d share my lame insight that the iPhone market may not be limited to the tech-savvy, as you’re (reasonably) assuming… Obviously those who have iPhones probably don’t have financial issues, but a LOT of the musicians here at Aspen, especially those who are professionals/young professionals (mid-20s and beyond) have them…
I can’t necessarily correlate the population here that’s tech-illiterate (a lot of people) with those who have iPhones, but I imagine it overlaps somewhat!
I’d have to guess that a few people that bought iPhones were those that were caught up on the hype in the days before the release and probably haven’t a clue what to do with it as far as the app store. I’m looking at getting one for the wife to get a family plan and she hasn’t expressed much interest beyond AIM or Palringo and maybe some games. Social networking has no pull in that space. How does it grab hold of that market?
Beth! Glad you finally broke the ice! I think you’re encountering another subsection of iPhone users: the urban hipster artist types who like the chic sleek stylings of Apple (to be honest, I don’t bump into that type often). Thank you for reminding me that not everyone is as tech-forward as I seem to expect.
(You’re telling them all about how cool I am, right?)
Ernie: Good question. My father recently acquired a Touch. I asked him, “So, what applications have you downloaded for the new toy?” Zero. For folks that are more familiar with standard phones rather than smartphone/gadget items, I think the secret lies in instant value and clear purpose.
For many this will mean only what the iphone came with and that means old school web apps. So this means introducing those few to Twitter’s web interface. What will you do to spread social networking to the blissfully unknowing?
Thanks for the comment, Jeff! As I’m pretty unfamiliar with the Twitter landscape on other smartphones, it’s good to hear about the preferences of other users. Do you know if the guy that’s made Hahlo is planning an iPhone application? Sounds like he should be!
Stratius Marketing, you’ve got a good point (yeah, free, but it’s still an investment of time and space)– except some of us don’t have an unlimited texting plan. I know if I hooked Twitter up with SMS, I’d be over my 200-text allotment in no time, and the value add of it all would be minimal. You’re right, though– being unable to consider SMS is a major flaw in this ‘fuzzy math.’
Ernie, yikes! I can’t imagine simultaneously using three different Twitter applications– that’s a sign that these folks need to sit down over a cup of coffee and integrate each other’s features, or something like that. I’m excited to see these applications grow, assuming they will.
Ernie, that’s part of the reason I blog, but you’re right– it’s up to us to spread the joys of social networking like cream cheese on a bagel.
I think folks naturally ask themselves, “What can this social networking service offer me?” The more answers we can provide to this question, the easier of a time we’ll have ensuring their conversion.
Haha, I think this is my first comment!
I just thought I’d share my lame insight that the iPhone market may not be limited to the tech-savvy, as you’re (reasonably) assuming… Obviously those who have iPhones probably don’t have financial issues, but a LOT of the musicians here at Aspen, especially those who are professionals/young professionals (mid-20s and beyond) have them…
I can’t necessarily correlate the population here that’s tech-illiterate (a lot of people) with those who have iPhones, but I imagine it overlaps somewhat!
I’d have to guess that a few people that bought iPhones were those that were caught up on the hype in the days before the release and probably haven’t a clue what to do with it as far as the app store. I’m looking at getting one for the wife to get a family plan and she hasn’t expressed much interest beyond AIM or Palringo and maybe some games. Social networking has no pull in that space. How does it grab hold of that market?
Beth! Glad you finally broke the ice! I think you’re encountering another subsection of iPhone users: the urban hipster artist types who like the chic sleek stylings of Apple (to be honest, I don’t bump into that type often). Thank you for reminding me that not everyone is as tech-forward as I seem to expect.
(You’re telling them all about how cool I am, right?)
Ernie: Good question. My father recently acquired a Touch. I asked him, “So, what applications have you downloaded for the new toy?” Zero. For folks that are more familiar with standard phones rather than smartphone/gadget items, I think the secret lies in instant value and clear purpose.
For many this will mean only what the iphone came with and that means old school web apps. So this means introducing those few to Twitter’s web interface. What will you do to spread social networking to the blissfully unknowing?
Ernie, that’s part of the reason I blog, but you’re right– it’s up to us to spread the joys of social networking like cream cheese on a bagel.
I think folks naturally ask themselves, “What can this social networking service offer me?” The more answers we can provide to this question, the easier of a time we’ll have ensuring their conversion.
Twitter works b/c it’s simple, and the simple interface of SMS has yet to be improved on sufficiently by any of the Twitter mobile apps.
Great post Andy! Just linked to it in my latest post.
I’m currently using Hahlo on my iPhone. I have Twittelator on it also. However, Hahlo is what I mainly use. I only use Twittelator for posting images to Twitter since Hahlo can’t do that. Otherwise, like you stated, the Twitter apps suck and I really have no clue on how they could make them better.
Twitter works b/c it’s simple, and the simple interface of SMS has yet to be improved on sufficiently by any of the Twitter mobile apps.
Great post Andy! Just linked to it in my latest post.
I’m currently using Hahlo on my iPhone. I have Twittelator on it also. However, Hahlo is what I mainly use. I only use Twittelator for posting images to Twitter since Hahlo can’t do that. Otherwise, like you stated, the Twitter apps suck and I really have no clue on how they could make them better.