--Ian Lynch Smith
The Apple App Store is changing mobile computing. Smart phones are becoming the “Swiss Army Knives” of the digital age due to the large amount of information and applications available at your fingertips. (Wortham, 2009)
The App Store has applications for everything from email and text-messaging to games, maps, and even wireless keys to remotely unlock cars. If you are looking for an application for your iPhone or iPod Touch, chances are the App Store has it. There are more than 10,000 developers, over 100,000 applications, and there have been more than 2 billion application downloads since the App Store opened in 2008.
Apple has been very supportive of developers who were once shunned by large telecommunications companies. What used to take hundreds of thousands of dollars and months of time to develop for an individual phone vendor can now be done in a matter of a couple of months and for very little overhead through the App Store.
Apple reviews all of the applications that are submitted to help prevent malicious software and preserve the stability of the devices. With more than 10,000 submissions each week that process can take some time to be completed. The goal is to have the review process completed and the application available on the App Store within 2 weeks. Even though a review of the software is necessary, the process has come under scrutiny. Apple is currently involved in an FCC investigation due to its decision to reject an application by Google. This has caused critics to question whether or not Apple will maintain a fair marketplace.
Apple’s App Store has helped create a new digital world where everyone from a weekend hobbyist to a professional software developer can have the opportunity to make money on the iPhone. Analysts estimate the App Store generates as much as a billion dollars a year in revenue for Apple and the developers. Jim Balsille, co-chief executive of Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smart phones, says, “It’s inevitable that all cell phones will be smart phones. There will be more services and new ways to monetize and more consumption. Growth is a given; it’s just a question of who is going to innovate in the right way to drive that value proposition to capture that growth.” It certainly appears Apple has found a way to capture the growth. There’s an app for that.
Wortham, J. (2009, December 6). Apple's Game Changer, Downloading Now. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/technology/06apps.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1260126251-iksGv9RVpZx8gRpN1/3efg
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