Final update for FabFocus as it currently exists…
We built our “Portrait Mode” app before Apple announced theirs but decided to ride their wake rather then try and (god forbid) compete! (see: here) Our elevator pitch was pretty much “Portraits for the rest of us.” It’s done very well as a paid app, and continues to, but as more users get newer iPhones with built in Portrait Mode that pitch has become less compelling. What to do?
We’re remaking FabFocus with a new targeted pitch of “Professional portraits on your iPhone.” Here’s the strategy. Apple is constrained by needing their software to be usable by everyone, which keeps it clean and limits their ability (and desire) to add lots of customization. So that’s Apple, what about other competition? There is a proven market for “pro” seeming photo apps. See Halide or Camera+ (in it’s second decade of sales!) How do we compete with apps like those? The answer is specificity and luck. Specificity in that we optimize just for portrait taking, that will allow us to build a deep, more accessible and higher quality experience. And luck in that because FabFocus was a very early portrait app, and it’s been successful for years with hundreds of 4+ star rating, FabFocus is very strong for the specific keywords a pro app would want. Words like Bokeh, and Portrait etc. Most app discovery is via App Store searches these days, so if we can create a high-end enough pro portrait app, FabFocus might inherit a valuable niche on the App Store going forward. At least that’s the plan!
Towards that end we’re very happy to be partnering with a renowned app developer — which I hope to talk more about soon.