Right to reply: The Future of Apps
- Added:
- Mar 05, 2010
2009 was the year mobile apps went mainstream, but what next? In this right to reply article, Patrick Gardner, CEO, Perfect Fools, looks at what to expect over the coming years.
Mobile apps have finally taken off in the past year with, currently, tens of thousands on offer in the iPhone App Store. In 2009 they went from futurism to full reality. Ease of development and an accessible distribution model are two factors driving the popularity of iPhone apps. This platform, along with a small handful of others, has finally reached a scale that justifies development costs.
The great thing about 2010 is it will be much harder to say how many apps there will be. However, it isn't all about Apple: Android, Windows and RIM can also use Java platform-neutral apps, meaning they have an increasing reach. It's also likely that app interface design will be the new influencer in mobile internet design.
Although mobile apps have exploded in popularity, we're still at a relatively superficial phase in the overall evolution.
Right now apps are, for the most part, interesting playthings in our mobile phones. We still haven't seen a mass-market, mobile positioning-driven advertising solution, for example (get 15% off a Coke the next time you pass by your local 7Eleven, to name one potential application). And most apps are still not fully integrated with powerful backend data sources. We're looking for more fully-integrated apps, and definitely more smart, positioning-based apps in the coming years.
By Patrick Gardner
CEO
Perfect Fools
www.perfectfools.com
