How to make the podcasts app amazing and how Apple can cash-in beyond hardware sales.

Apple’s podcasts app is so clunky, dilapidated and uncared for, like an old Sony Walkman.

As a producer of a successful podcast I have no idea who our listeners are. If podcast subscribers could become ‘followers’ – likeTwitter, the podcasts app would become a new social media platform.

Knowing who our listeners are would be huge. Enabling our listeners to engage with each other would be amazing.

Have you ever tried sharing within the podcasts app? It’s a bad joke. I have to tap the screen 4 times! And the pre-filled text says “Check out this cool episode!” Not exactly frictionless. It doesn’t lend itself to virality does it?

Imagine if people could share podcasts easily, see what podcasts other people follow…that would be awesome.

Imagine blending the Twitter app with a decent podcasts app.

Instead of a boring list of podcasts, I’d have a podcasts feed. That I could comment on, favourite, share and file away.

Whoever makes this app can monetise by slipping with ads in-between the episodes. Podcasters could then take a share of the ad revenue – advertisements sold by iAd.

The podcasts app has so much untapped potential. I wish Apple made it as awesome as it should be. Otherwise someone else is going to…