Yahoo cans BlackBerry app to focus on iPhone, browser software

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
In the latest sign that the iPhone is emerging as the platform of choice for companies big and small, Yahoo on Wednesday will reportedly cease work on its Mobile app for BlackBerry and other smartphones to concentrate its resources on iPhone and browser-centric development.



Word of the move was picked up by TechCrunch after developers applying to work on the application for Research In Motion's BlackBerry handsets received an email response from the search giant stating that "Yahoo has decided to cease development" of the app on May 20th.



Going forward, Yahoo will reportedly restructure its Yahoo! Mobile development team to focus on two core platforms, the iPhone, and for every other mobile handset, the browser. Other applications for BlackBerry handsets independent of the Mobile app will reportedly remain in development.



"We are reprioritizing some products to help us better deliver the best possible experiences to consumers on mobile," the company said in the email to applications. "To streamline our services, we will not develop Yahoo! Mobile for smartphones to focus our efforts on mobilizing Yahoo!, improving Yahoo! Mobile for web and Yahoo! Mobile for iPhone as well as developing new and engaging experiences for consumers, partners and advertisers."



Yahoo in February overhauled its Mobile service, rebranding and repackaging some of its assets and phasing out others. The new version was announced as a browser-based service for more than 300 mobile handsets in April but presented in a unique application for iPhone (Free, App Store) users at the same time.



Since then, Yahoo has issued at least one update to the iPhone app, which ranks No. 80 on the App Store's list of Top 100 free apps and No. 1 overall in the News category. Among its features are location-based searches, personalized news and sports, email access, an RSS reader, and tie-ins to social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, and others.



Separately, Yahoo also maintains a Yahoo! Messenger application (Free, App Store) for the iPhone as well as Inquisitor (Free, App Store), a simple web search and news application.



As TechCrunch points out, Yahoo's move to abandon development of its Mobile app for BlackBerry and other smartphones is somewhat of an about-face for the internet company, further underscoring the impact the iPhone has had on the market in just a matter of months.







Just last March, the publication asked Yahoo! Mobile marking chief Adam Taggart whether the company was positioning its future mobile developments as individual or browser-based applications.



"We are embracing both, apps and browser. We as Yahoo are all about ubiquity," Taggart said. "We have a renewed appreciation for the browser because they are getting materially better, but you can always do more with an app on your phone. In the immediate time frame you will see a lot more standalone vertical apps coming out of Yahoo."



At the time, he explained that Mobile applications under development for BlackBerries and other smartphones -- the ones his firm just axed -- were meant to assuage the appetites of consumers with those devices aspiring for an iPhone like experience.



"The smartphone app is a way to turn your smartphone into an iPhone at no additional cost, if you are envying the iPhone," he said.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    They probably have a secret Palm Pre app in the cards. (j/k)
  • Reply 2 of 30
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Wow. Stories like this lead me to conclude: incumbents in the handset business must be still trying to digest what's hit them



    On the topic of the App Store, does anyone know if the Pre will come with something similar, and if so what it will be like? (If it doesn't, it might be DOA.... at least initially).
  • Reply 3 of 30
    italiankiditaliankid Posts: 279member
    Yahoo still around?



    who uses Yahoo? NOBBBBBBBBBBODY!
  • Reply 4 of 30
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I don't know about the italian part, but you sure act like a kid...



    Anyway, this gives some of the clever programmers left at Yahoo something to do with their skills. I actually like what they've done so far with their apps.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    Yahoo still around?



    who uses Yahoo? NOBBBBBBBBBBODY!



    Given it is the second busiest site on the internet, I'd guess some people still do.



    http://alexa.com/topsites
  • Reply 6 of 30
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    Given it is the second busiest site on the internet, I'd guess some people still do.



    http://alexa.com/topsites



    Surely he meant to exclude those billions of people.



    Seriously though, I wold think Yahoo could make a BB and IPhone app easily so they can cash in on as many major devices as possible.
  • Reply 7 of 30
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    Given it is the second busiest site on the internet, I'd guess some people still do.



    http://alexa.com/topsites



    What's the first- the Microsoft help desk?
  • Reply 8 of 30
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Poor italiankid. He's obliged to tie himself into ever tighter knots, just to maintain a silly stance regarding the iPhone.



    Oh, and it's only going to get worse.
  • Reply 9 of 30
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Seriously though, I wold think Yahoo could make a BB and IPhone app easily so they can cash in on as many major devices as possible.



    Yeah, why make such an announcement? It's almost like Yahoo is flirting with Apple.







    Eeeeek, save me, save me please!!!!!!1!111!!
  • Reply 10 of 30
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    http://alexa.com/topsites



    That is a cool site! Thanks.
  • Reply 11 of 30
    jerseymacjerseymac Posts: 408member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    Yahoo still around?



    who uses Yahoo? NOBBBBBBBBBBODY!



    I do. Any company who can tell Steve Ballmer to get lost is okay by me.
  • Reply 12 of 30
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    No surprise here.



    The iPhone has about 100x more potential than the Blackberry. The whole Apple ecosystem is a study in progressive, forward thinking, App Store, iTunes, MobileMe and all.



    Yahoo is joining hordes of other developers to get in on the action. Apple's iPhone is another iPod phenomenon. One game-changing handheld device was impressive enough. But two? Goes to show where all the talent is. Hint: it's not in Redmond, WA.
  • Reply 13 of 30
    constable odoconstable odo Posts: 1,041member
    I'm certainly happy that Yahoo has so much faith in the iPhone that it can stop development on other mobile platforms. It sure seems like it's taking a pretty big gamble unless Yahoo knows something the rest of us don't. Sales of the iPhone aren't that large and they're basically restricted to one carrier in the U.S. currently. Maybe Yahoo is looking a couple years into the future when the iPhone and maybe it's other Apple mobile brethren will be on all carriers. I wonder if this app can be used on the iPod Touch, also which would certainly increase the numbers.



    However, this move on Yahoo's part could be driven by it's lack of cash. No matter. Any bit of leverage the iPhone can get over the BlackBerry is surely welcome to me. Why turn other platforms into an iPhone experience? Just let those people go and buy an iPhone.
  • Reply 14 of 30
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Constable Odo View Post


    I'm certainly happy that Yahoo has so much faith in the iPhone that it can stop development on other mobile platforms. It sure seems like it's taking a pretty big gamble unless Yahoo knows something the rest of us don't. Sales of the iPhone aren't that large and they're basically restricted to one carrier in the U.S. currently. Maybe Yahoo is looking a couple years into the future when the iPhone and maybe it's other Apple mobile brethren will be on all carriers. I wonder if this app can be used on the iPod Touch, also which would certainly increase the numbers.



    However, this move on Yahoo's part could be driven by it's lack of cash. No matter. Any bit of leverage the iPhone can get over the BlackBerry is surely welcome to me. Why turn other platforms into an iPhone experience? Just let those people go and buy an iPhone.



    I don't think sales of the iPhone is the right metric though. You have to look at "number of apps available/number of apps being downloaded."



    Despite not having as many handsets in the wild as rivals, Apple has still managed to mainstream the whole idea of downloading and utilizing apps on your phone, in a way that has fundamentally changed the value proposition for developers.



    It doesn't do you any good to develop for a phone that sells a kajillion units if relatively few of its users are going to bother downloading apps, or if the entire download and install process is constrained in such a way as to make that unlikely.



    At this point, the iPhone has entered into a "virtuous circle" phase, where ease of use drives development drives sales drives development. That's what Yahoo is looking at, not handset sales.
  • Reply 15 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    Yahoo still around?



    who uses Yahoo? NOBBBBBBBBBBODY!



    Uhhh.... hundred's of millions, if not billions. Yahoo is one of the top western search website in most Asian countries. Very popular in Japan and China. Yahoo is clearly #2 in the world, behind Google in search and #2 or #3 behind AIM in chat and AIM has to be losing ground fast.
  • Reply 16 of 30
    italiankiditaliankid Posts: 279member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    Given it is the second busiest site on the internet, I'd guess some people still do.



    http://alexa.com/topsites



    i dont use it. i hate the search engine. i prefer google.
  • Reply 17 of 30
    italiankiditaliankid Posts: 279member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mesomorphicman View Post


    Uhhh.... hundred's of millions, if not billions. Yahoo is one of the top western search website in most Asian countries. Very popular in Japan and China. Yahoo is clearly #2 in the world, behind Google in search and #2 or #3 behind AIM in chat and AIM has to be losing ground fast.



    everyone i know has an AIM account or MSN. Not one of my friends have a yahoo account and I know thousands
  • Reply 18 of 30
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    i dont use it. i hate the search engine. i prefer google.



    Well, there you go. I don't use it/nobody uses it. Ironclad reasoning.
  • Reply 19 of 30
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mesomorphicman View Post


    Uhhh.... hundred's of millions, if not billions. Yahoo is one of the top western search website in most Asian countries. Very popular in Japan and China. Yahoo is clearly #2 in the world, behind Google in search and #2 or #3 behind AIM in chat and AIM has to be losing ground fast.



    Oh details, details.....
  • Reply 20 of 30
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    i dont use it. i hate the search engine. i prefer google.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by italiankid View Post


    everyone i know has an AIM account or MSN. Not one of my friends have a yahoo account and I know thousands



    Well there you go. Another apostle of the Church of Teckstud. Thank you for representing everyone on what we should be using. It's nice to have someone telling the rest of humanity what we're doing wrong.
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