The author's identified 'problem' is: I can't find a subway map when I need it because it's too difficult to find and install 'an app for that'.
My reply was working from the assumption that the author was proposing a solution that was designed to address that.
If the context-sensitive search site is merely identifying that I'm looking for a subway map, and then forwarding me on to one of 10,000 disparate subway map web services as erikpukinskis seems to be suggesting, users will inevitably bookmark the web service interface they like best and query it directly in the future. Leading to the same use scenario as with apps. The only differences being trivial technical ones (from the standpoint of the user).
The author's identified 'problem' is: I can't find a subway map when I need it because it's too difficult to find and install 'an app for that'.
My reply was working from the assumption that the author was proposing a solution that was designed to address that.
If the context-sensitive search site is merely identifying that I'm looking for a subway map, and then forwarding me on to one of 10,000 disparate subway map web services as erikpukinskis seems to be suggesting, users will inevitably bookmark the web service interface they like best and query it directly in the future. Leading to the same use scenario as with apps. The only differences being trivial technical ones (from the standpoint of the user).