It is something near impossible to have missed. Unless you are living underground, still believing the Y2K brought upon us the worlds end, you are most likely using apps in one form or another in your everyday life. As the apps are becoming an ever growing larger part of all our lives, the definition is becoming more diffuse. The very first thing most people would think about would of course be mobile applications.
Although apps are used in countless areas other than in your phone, the phone has become our main hub to connect with modern technology. You can do nearly everything from your phone.
Ranging from rocking your baby to sleep in his/hers cradle to various kinds of entertainment such as playing creative games or enjoying the various thrills of gambling, all from the comfort of your own couch.
We can never foresee the future in its entirety, but as history has shown us, where money goes, development usually follows. And the intricate world of Mobile Apps is a world indeed very prosperous. The trend shows no sign of slowing down; instead it’s racing forward with formidable speed. In 2011, total revenue in the world of phone apps was $8.32 billion; in 2015 it amounted to $58.21B. As you can view in this chart, the expected revenue in 2020 is a staggering $188.9B! Surely, the future still lies ahead.
As it is amazing, it is nearly frightening how apps have become such a central part in our lives with such immense speed. Just 7 years ago, in 2010, the word “app” was named “word of the year” by the American Dialect Society. It is very likely that more people know the word through its shortening, than the full name “application software”.
However, as the word itself has become associated with the apps we commonly scroll between on our smartphones, its true meaning is slightly different. Most who still remembers the times when manufacturers used the term “mobile” a bit too freely should remember the workouts from simply picking the early “mobile phones” up.
The very first commercially available cell phone was first marketed in 1983, and weighed 2.5 pounds. It retailed at the humble price of $3,995. Although we could not very well upload and document our everyday life for all our friends to see, not even send a text to those friends, you could call them. Should you forget their number, this 2.5lbs brick did carry a simple contacts app, in 1983.