Why Indonesia Android Kejar is important
Lately there’s been a lot of talk about “developing for next billion Internet users” … which is referring to the Asian region and countries such as India and Indonesia which are still have a large number of people who aren’t connected to the Internet, but growing in a rapid rate.
There’s a huge potential market for getting new customers and app users. But it’s not as simple as just tapping into that “new billion people” who are about to get connected. They will probably not be your next Spotify user nor be using Apple Pay, because they won’t be on iOS devices.
Android on the other hand is the most likely platform that we’ll see these new group of users on. There are plenty of local phone manufacturers that are explicitly targeting the lower end of the market, the segment who are likely to be first smart phone owners and perhaps have their first experience with the Internet.
It’s hard for someone who have never experienced the challenges of a society with so large gaps in economy and the state of technology, such as the controversial reality of Indonesia. On one hand we have a high spending class with flagship devices using 4G cellular networks and access to fiber-optic networks in urban areas and at the same time there is almost no Internet connectivity at all in provinces east of Bali (although, there is a project in the works). Even living in Bali it can be hard to get an Internet connection to your house in Denpasar (!!!)
But even in super metropolitan areas such as Jakarta, there’s virtually no technological integration in society. There are everyday problems in Indonesia that most of us who are sitting high enough up on our horses never deal with nor understand. And these are remarkable opportunities for those, who do understand, and can translate them into a solution.
One of the good examples is Gojek. What Gojek did is so much more than re-thinking ride-sharing. They’ve got over 200,000 drivers only in Indonesia, and it’s mind boggling to speculate in how many of those that had their first contact with the Internet only thanks to Gojek. That’s in my opinion, the greatest achievement. There was a deep cultural understanding that made it possible.
Most of the developers that I meet in the local communities are mostly web developers. But I believe that the future lies in tools that are more than just websites. We need more developers that understand the capacities of mobile devices so that they can properly translate their solutions into usable solutions onto devices that are most likely to be used by the target market.
With the right tools and knowledge it’s more likely to find the proper solution to a problem. Any any problem that you can solve can also be a business. It’s kind of a win-win if we can solve more problems and build more businesses for a stronger economy.
For these reasons I believe that Indonesia Android Kejar is important. The national program is currently on its second batch of study circles, although the one that we started in November is only the first batch to be held in Bali. Next year we expect to run another two batches and please follow Primakara and Kumpul Coworking Space if you are interested in getting involved with us or supporting the local developer communities.
