All Segments
a16z Podcast | Searching for Mobile’s Own PageRank
10 segments available
The mobile experience is still in its 1995 Yahoo phase, a sea of apps and websites without an easy way to find what you want and need on your smartphone. What will be mobile’s version of PageRank, the algorithm that made the web manageable? What is the interaction model and the form - app, card, URL – that will help us find, explore and engage with people, products and services from our mobile devices? Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Benedict Evans and Balaji Srinivasan delve into the options.
Segments Timeline
The Pre-PageRank Era of Mobile
Chris Dixon and his guests discuss the current state of mobile applications, comparing it to the early days of the internet before PageRank. They highlight the challenges users face in discovering and exploring apps, likening the app store experience to browsing Yahoo in 1995, where finding the right tools is cumbersome and inefficient.
"hi this is Chris Dixon this is 816 xiv podcast i'm here with benedict Evans and Balaji Srinivasan Bennett if you've been talking a lot about this idea that we are in a pre PageRank ear of mobile can y..."
The Browser vs. App Dilemma
The conversation shifts to the limitations of mobile interaction models compared to traditional web browsers. The speakers explore how smartphones lack a unified browsing experience, leading to difficulties in finding and engaging with content across various apps, similar to the pre-Netscape internet.
"there's Google but Google doesn't cover everything you can do on a device App Store's don't you know the app stores are like Amazon they list every scene everything that exists but then always for you..."
Architectural Limitations of Mobile Platforms
Dixon elaborates on the architectural challenges of mobile platforms, emphasizing the absence of a universal linking structure akin to HTML. He discusses how this affects deep linking and user engagement, suggesting that the app model's limitations hinder effective content discovery.
"you had a few exceptions like you know Spotify and Skype and stuff for basically everything happened in the browser and again on smart phones that's not the case so there's this kind of swirling mass ..."
The Evolution of Interaction Models
The discussion continues with a focus on how smartphones have transformed into communication platforms, contrasting with traditional desktop experiences. The speakers analyze how applications like WhatsApp leverage device capabilities, reshaping user interactions and expectations.
"limitation of the platform which is there's no there's no browser because there's no HTML right because obviously there's HTML in the web browser but I'm speaking about apps you know the app model of ..."
Future of Mobile Architecture
The segment explores potential future architectures for mobile applications, including the idea of local data storage and distributed computing. The speakers speculate on how this could change the way apps interact with user data and each other, moving towards a more integrated experience.
"shrink-wrapped yeah yeah I tagged over a certain file yeah yeah kids there were these stores that like soul like physical stores that sold software in Bob cardboard boxes so yeah I mean the reason tha..."
The Role of Context in App Discovery
Dixon discusses the importance of context in app discovery, questioning whether users should manually search for apps or if technology should automatically present relevant information based on location and preferences. This segment highlights the need for smarter interaction models.
"mean the the interesting thing looking at there's a bunch of rumors about you know what Apple would do about wearables and we're looking at what Google is doing with Google with Android wear around th..."
Linking Between Apps: A New Paradigm
The conversation shifts to innovative approaches for linking between applications. The speakers introduce concepts like automatic APIs and local data access, envisioning a future where apps can seamlessly interact and share information without cumbersome user input.
"whether that's from within an apple from the web or scraped out of Google now or something so so you know one thing I think is in terms of discovery and kind of thinking about architecture and so on s..."
The Future of App Installation
Dixon raises questions about the future of app installation on smartphones, pondering what it will mean to install an app in five years. The discussion touches on the evolving nature of apps and how they may integrate more deeply with cloud services and user data.
"accessed and read and wrote to for your files and Facebook access and read wrote to for your files for your photos but also for your contacts and for your personal information and linked and also acce..."
The Fusion of Android and Chrome OS
The segment explores the potential merging of Android and Chrome OS under unified leadership. The speakers discuss how this could lead to a new development paradigm, where mobile and web applications converge, impacting user experience and app functionality.
"so there's a question you know it's sort of one of my kind of the things that I've been saying you know if I was to say I installed an app on my android smartphone in five years I don't really know wh..."
The Return of Traditional Computing
In a thought-provoking conclusion, the speakers speculate on the future of computing, suggesting a possible return to more traditional forms like desktops and laptops as powerful computing platforms. They discuss how emerging technologies like Oculus could reshape user interactions and experiences.
"there's the legal word is engineering word okay yeah so the Android API is right so Android like the Java syntax compatible API is right those I mean if you were doing a mobile platform today you woul..."