S02E15 – Go Big or Go Home

Good morning 👋

Although the reception from ex-Dark Sky users who have moved across to Appy Weather has been overwhelmingly positive, there is one area that’s come in for regular criticism: the radar feature. They’re right. Although the in-app radar made great strides in the big July update, finally becoming a native experience, the data source I’m currently depending on is neither feature nor data rich.

If I’m serious about being considered the best weather app, which I am, then it’s not an option to skimp in this department. It will happen. But when? That’s the question I’ve been wrestling with the last two weeks. Keep in mind, sourcing weather map images is significantly more expensive than forecast data. So much so, that I wasn’t even considering the possibility of paying up until recently. I didn’t feel there was sufficient demand to justify the additional expense. The situation though has evolved recently, especially in the last few weeks.

Regardless of when these changes occur, I’ve been keeping busy trying to determine the steps necessary to de-risk the upgrade by either reducing expenses and/or increasing revenue. I hope for there to be a resolution by the end of August. The urgency from my side is because I’m a strong believer that the optimal time to double-down on your efforts is when things are going well. Momentum doesn’t happen overnight. If/when it arrives, the reward for acting positively is potentially huge. But if it doesn’t work out, then it could be equally damaging. Hoping for the best, planning for the worst!

Have a great Sunday.

Best,
Bardi