SatelliteGuys App Going Away?

[Scott Greczkowski]

As you might know we have TWO different iOS and Android apps.

The original app is based on Technology by ForumRunner, as many of you know ForumRunner was sold to Internet Brands, the same folks who make the vBulletin forum software we use here at SatelliteGuys. Since Internet Brands has purchased ForumRunner the quality of the product and support have gone down hill. There hasn't been an update of the software since Internet Brands took it over.

I have just been alerted that our SatelliteGuys app by ForumRunner is up for its Annual Renewal at the end of May which is coming up fast, the cost is $425 to renew it for another year. At this point I am so upset with Internet Brands / vBulletin / Forum Runner that I am thinking of not renewing the application. if I do this the app will cease to work. In addition at the moment I don't really have the money to spend on the app, as at the moment ad revenue is down almost 70% from this time last year mainly due to the fact that two of our biggest ad agencies OpenX Marketplace went out of Business and Pulsepoint has booted all forums out of its ad network.

I will keep it however if we can raise the funds to keep it around for another year.

With that said we also have our newer Tapatalk based application, this app is available for both the iOS and Android Platforms. This app will stick around no matter if we keep or get rid of the origional ForumRunner based app. And like the other app, it is free to the users. (I have been playing with a new version 2 of the app, which should be out in a few weeks, which I like a lot.)

So I am asking you the members, what should we do? Keep it or dump it?

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[KE4EST]

I say dump it, although for some reason one time I could not get the new app to work right and the old worked fine. Tapatalk must have been having issues cause it only lasted about 30 mins. I kept checking back and it started loading threads again. Was nice to have the old one to fall back on, but if I need to I use the browser on my tablet or phone.

 

[mogera]

Tapatalk works fine for me. Do what is most financially prudent Scott.

 

[navychop]

Does the user paid version of Tapa show ads?

Don't spend money you don't have to spend. The old app works fine for me but the new one is fine too.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[eurosport]

I don't like the new one. But recently the forumrunner one started showing ads, so I don't really like it as much as I used to. I still use it more, but I understand if it has to go. I'd want you to keep it if it was still ad-free. As a pub/staff member, I don't know why I see ads at all on these things anyway.

 

[Hall]

What is the benefit of having a branded app for a forum ? I ask in all seriousness. Who wants an app for for Satguys, another app for AVS, another app for site 'x', one for site 'y', etc, etc ? I use a paid version of Tapatalk myself and have multiple forums loaded in it.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Hall over 40,000 people have downloaded the original app.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

BTW I mispoke, the price of the renewal this year is $599...

[h=2]"Branding Cost[/h] The cost for licensing is $599 per year."

 

[eurosport]

BTW I mispoke, the price of the renewal this year is $599...

[h=2]"Branding Cost[/h] The cost for licensing is $599 per year."

$600??? Bye bye app!

 

[pro96]

Crazy indeed :

Posted Using The New SatelliteGuys Reader App!

 

[navychop]

Yep. It's a goner.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[KE4EST]

600 is way too much, when satguys is not a multimillion dollar business.

 

[Hall]

Hall over 40,000 people have downloaded the original app.

I'm part of that number too ..... but haven't had it in years once I questioned myself, "why have this app, one for AVS, one for XDA, etc, etc when one app consolidates them into one?".

40,000 may have downloaded it one time, but 40,000 aren't using it today.... Otherwise, you're going to alienate 20% of the members here ?

If I had to guess, the site gets a small kickback for clicked ads displayed through the app ? If that's the case, it doesn't sounds like "it pays for itself". I see the "Reader" app in the Play Store - that's been updated just a a week ago and is Tapatalk based. I also see the older ForumRunner version. Seems like an easy decision to keep the newer, better-supported one plus only have ONE app instead of two.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

A lot people are using it, in fact we have had a half million hits from people using our app in just the last 3 months.

Yes we do get paid for the ads in the app, last payment was $20.13 which covered 3 months... yippie.

 

[king3pj]

Does the user paid version of Tapa show ads?

Don't spend money you don't have to spend. The old app works fine for me but the new one is fine too.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

No. The paid version of Tapatalk does not show adds on any of the forums I use it for. I use Tapatalk 2 HD on my iPad which I believe cost me $5. My only problem with it is that it is not a universal app.... Meaning unlike many products in the app store you can't use it on both your iPhone and iPad.

Tapatalk is $3 (this is the one SatelliteGuys uses) and Tapatalk 2 is $4 on iPhone. Since I already paid $5 for the iPad version that struck me the wrong way a little bit so I am still using the free tapatalk based satellite guys app on my iPhone. Like hall mentioned I have several different forum branded apps on my iPhone but Tapatalk 2 HD is the only one I need on my iPad. I see the need for branded apps though. Many people don't buy any paid apps period.

 

[riffjim4069]

Dump it...

 

[Rey]

Get rid of it. Tapatalk works great.

 

[dfergie]

Dump it ... not worth having 2 apps.

 

[pro96]

Yeap Tapatalk rocks

Posted Using The New SatelliteGuys Reader App!

 

[TheKrell]

I have never used either, but I vote to dump it anyhow.