Why I'm not Genius Fan

In a previous post I said I was not a Genius Fan, and since then, I have got dozens of emails of angry people because I do not like the Apple recommendation system.

First of all, I would like to clarify that I said "I'm not a Genius Fan". I have not said I hate Genius. Moreover, I have not said I dislike Genius. What I said is that I does not belong to Genius fan club.

Well, I have to admit that Genius is a very nice recommendation system. It works pretty well in case of songs and movies. And I think it will do a great job in case of iPhone apps (even if it is only based on keywords). It will help to customers to find those wonderful hidden applications. So, what is the problem? Well, Genius is not social.

Yes, I think that the best apps recommendation system is that one that is based on the "wisdom of the crowds". What I want to know is which applications have downloaded those people that have installed the same applications than me. Also, I want to know which other applications have those who like the same applications than me. I want to see application lists created by users (for example, a tower defense games list). And finally, I want to know which applications are using my friends.

All those social features are not covered by Genius. And that's why I not a Genius Fan. That simple.