Entertainment vs. utility
Thought this was an interesting little factoid in the ongoing debate around how best to engage – i.e. through entertainment or utility. Om Malik talks about hearing from Google’s Marissa Mayer that Google Maps usage has “shot up sharply” since the release of the iPhone and “hasn’t stopped rising.”
Meanwhile, YouTube on iPhone has had no effect on YouTube usage at all.
While this is partially due to the fact that YouTube isn’t a great experience over EDGE, it’s also worth noting that Google Maps isn’t a fantastic experience over EDGE either. In fact, waiting for screen redraws or simply being out of wireless range are common experiences using Google Maps.
However, people put up with it because Google Maps provides a useful service, where they don’t with YouTube because it’s only entertainment.
There’s no denying that entertainment is a legitimate way to engage, however this does prove that the barrier to entry for a good entertainment experience is substantially higher than it is for a useful service.