Open platform again, super app becomes a trend

Recently, the "open platform" has risen again. But the same concept, two years ago, the center of gravity is open, today's focus is on the platform.

In 2011, Tencent had gone through the 3Q War and announced its openness, and how determined it was to be open. Today, openness has become the basic label for the Internet platform, and people's focus has shifted to the platform because of the advent of the mobile internet era.

Similar to the traditional Internet, the open path of mobile Internet is from application to platform. But at present, the so-called app open platform is still in the infant period-consider the development, operation, flow complementary and so on all aspects (application store, mobile phone assistant, Map class platform is a simple distribution platform), currently weighing only two players: micro-letter and UC.

Last week, Tencent and UC opened a separate conference on openness. Tencent's main open platform is mobile, in addition to micro-letter platform, the future mobile gaming platform, application treasure, Tencent mobile phone butler, mobile phone QQ browser will also be included in Tencent's open plan, and UC has launched the "uc+"-by the Web Application Center, plug-in platform and the application of the bookmark platform three components, Mobile Internet operating services for developers and traditional Web sites

Super app is an interesting topic. There are a lot of questions at the moment, but no matter what the final step of this form, the industry is weighing up the unrest after the first big leap in mobile internet.

New position of mobile development

When it comes to mobile Internet development, a fixed mindset is: Split into two teams, iOS and Android. If they are allowed to take out resources, or even completely shift their positions to access the app platform, they must find a reason to persuade them to join.

The most realistic reason is the current big background of mobile internet. New smartphone users are starting to slow, and the app economy, which is on the five anniversary of the App Store, is still at its peak, but some negative trends have emerged: retention and usage-users are constantly concentrating on a handful of high-frequency apps, and many other long tail apps are barely available. Such contradictions have become more acute in the context of the soaring cost of research and development, and the uncertainty of business change, and the capital for app start-ups has become a "wait-and-see".

For many developers, developing apps is a loss.

There are two solutions: reduce costs and increase value. Application development based on Super app seems to fill in these two directions: development costs and user access is much less difficult than the traditional app, the value level is a highly active app of the flow subsidy, the potential distribution of opportunities beyond the App Store this form.

As I said in the accidental survival of a non-app:

In fact, users need services rather than an app, and they don't care what the specific implementation form is. The future mobile Internet landscape may be: a small number of super app+ plugins and web (satisfying a variety of common needs) + a large number of vertical niche apps (including games).

China Merchants Bank, Southern Airlines, these traditional service providers have been seen as mobile web sites, mobile apps outside the new position. So Cai will say: Half of the app will be able to be replaced by a micro-credit public account. For now, this may be an exaggerated wording, but in the long run it is possible (the custom menu added in version 4.5 is a big step in form).

UC This release "uc+" has a Web Application Center, main WebApp This "advance" form, there is a plug-in platform to access the APK (Android traditional app), that is, the traditional app only need to add a few lines of code, can be combined with the UC browser call to gain flow value. The combination of two forms of access to applications.

Heavier or lighter?

This is one of the most controversial issues, because the user experience is a very sensual thing.

If you go to the various channels (App Store, microblogging, forum, etc.) to find users for some of the Super app evaluation, you will find that some words say so: more and more bloated, this TM is not what I want. Indeed, when the product features more and more, UI interaction design will increase the difficulty, especially in the smaller screen phone, a little careless may bring users anxiety.

"So the app should be vertical, it's more functional. "This is a solution that many product managers subconsciously give. But in fact, it just shifts the user's anxiety rather than eliminating it-think of the mountain of apps on the desktop and the regularly upgrades ...

The structure that relieves or eliminates this anxiety is actually "open" itself, or customization. For example, "uc+" only retains and strengthens the bottom browsing function, all other features are "web", "plug-in", "bookmarking", lurking in the periphery of Third-party developers, the user chose to add.

In other words, the weight of the app itself is controllable, the user experience is fully matched with their own sensory needs-load-bearing capacity of the strong can add hundreds of plug-ins, minimalist only keep a browser core it.

Micro-letters should also be the same idea in the balance between "heavy and light" contradictions, but the difficulty lies in how the scale of control. The strong relationship of IM determines its highly intimate genes, which is in fact inconsistent with the "open display" attribute, and is easily disruptive to users--which is why Tencent constantly changes its public platform policy, and until there is no reason to introduce a public account display or referral mechanism.

In addition, the type of application that can allow access is also fastidious. This I mentioned in the "micro-letter, UC Browser and the platform of Baidu map of the survival opinion" article:

Platform to the left, bloated to the right, the fundamental factor determining the trend is whether the platform process is respected from the product main gene. Because genes define the core needs of the product to be addressed, as well as the corresponding target user base.

As a result, once app starts to platform, it must also follow this rule-to provide the peripheral services that the target user group needs, and to solve the surrounding needs of the core requirements. Otherwise, it is meaningless to stack the function. For example, a weather app that adds the "Dress advice" feature makes sense, but if you join the game channel, it's "bloated."

Super app is a result of natural evolution in China Mobile Internet ecological environment, can break through the application store, the operating system of the clamp and third party to carry on the initial connection, mutual benefit, at least from form to obtain certain result. So this evolution can be expected.

Of course, the attitude towards the open is also very important. Like the movie Godfather's line: A man who doesn't take care of his family is not a man at all.