We here at StackSocial are getting super excited for iOS 8, and we know you are too! However, the folks over at Business Insider recently wrote an interesting article calling out some third party apps that may not be quite be excited (or useful) once iOS 8 drops.
We’re actually hoping some of these top apps stick around, but you can be the judge…
Without further ado, are the apps that Business Insider says will be rendered obsolete by iOS 8:
Messaging apps such as Snapchat and WhatsApp: Apple’s updated iMessage now allows users to send bite-sized multimedia messages and the option to display their location, longtime features of WhatsApp and Snapchat. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum tweeted that it was “very flattering to see Apple ‘borrow’ numerous WhatsApp features into iMessage.”
WWDC
Dropbox and Google Drive: iCloud Drive means all your work is stored in the cloud and pushed instantly to any of your Apple or Mac devices, no app needed. Just like Dropbox, iCloud Drive users can monitor which documents or photos are being synced, and can even edit them online using Apple’s iCloud productivity suite. iCloud Drive is free for 5GB of storage, with additional storage available starting at 20GB for $0.99 per month.
Skype: There are many applications which allow users to make phone calls over WiFi, but Skype is one of the most popular out there. The only downside is that you have to pay. Apple has revealed iOS 8 will allow you to make phone calls over WiFi to any device, which will be great if you have poor cell reception in your home or office.
Business Insider
Skitch: Ever need to point out a specific detail with an arrow or circle? Skitch has been the go-to app for annotating images, but Apple has added the same functionality to its Mail app, getting rid of the need to switch between an editing app and your inbox. Terrible at making arrows or incapable of drawing a non-sloppy circle? Apple has included a feature to recognize the basic shape attempted and seamlessly replace it with a more geometrically correct version.
WWDC
1Password: People have been itching for Apple to allow third-party apps to utilize their state-of-the-art fingerprint sensor, Touch ID, which acts as a unique and secure password to gain access to your iPhone. Until now, if you wanted to manage all your passwords, a manager like 1Password or LastPass were your best bets. Now, you won’t even need to remember your passwords. All you’ll need is your fingerprint.
App killer *might* be a bit of an overstatement… The good news? We’ll still curate the best-of-the-best in apps, gadgets, tools and more that will be just as awesome when iOS 8 hits the scene.
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I don’t know who put this article together, but there are a few obvious flaws with this perception:
1. WhatsApp and Snapchat are multiplatform apps. Since iMessage is strictly for Apple products, the ability to send multimedia and location over cellular (MMS) remains cost-prohibitive, so it’s likely that these apps will remain as long as there is an Android or Windows Phone user community that these iOS users still converse with.
2. Wi-Fi calling is a collaboration between the cellular carrier and smartphone hardware manufacturer. T-Mobile and Rogers both announced that they will make use of this feature new to iOS 8, but it has been previously available on select BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Android devices. The call will originate or end over Wi-Fi, but it has to connect to the cellular carrier before it connects to the caller or recipient. Skype won’t go away for the same multiplatform reasons as WhatsApp and Snapchat, but a potential drop in subscriptions for Wi-Fi calling could happen if they don’t want a dedicated Skype number.
3. If anything, 1Password will be more powerful with the introduction with the Touch ID API. 1Password not only stores website passwords, but credit cards, non-website related credentials, software license keys, and more. 1Password can authenticate their master password to the Touch ID, allowing faster access to their encrypted repository, and the use of share sheets can make 1Password interact directly with an open web page in Safari to propagate any password fields as needed.
You were thinking the exact same thing I was about 1Password. It’s only going to get better now the Touch ID Api is accessible to developers.
Similarly, Dropbox and Google Drive are a lot more cross-platform than iCloud Drive.
thank you beyondthetech.. you nailed it!
Most of these won’t go anywhere. They will all be part of the mix. Except maybe Skitch. Skitch is hideous and needs to die anyway :p