The History & Evolution of Mobile Apps
Sometimes technology can make you nostalgic. Remember waiting until 9pm to talk to your friends or boyfriend for free;)? We’ve come a long way since then. Since technology is endlessly evolving, our mobile devices are too. You can now talk to your devices and use them to manage your day to day tasks.
Mobile apps are no exception. Apps have evolved so much that today you can pay using your phone, scan items in the grocery store and even video chat with multiple family members at a click of a button.
But how did it all start? Let’s take a closer look at the awe-inspiring evolution of mobile apps.
The History of Mobile Applications
If we go back to the history of mobile app development, we can easily track that a few Java games were among some of the early mobile apps. In 1994, the first smartphone launched by IBM came with the features like the world clock, calculator, contact book, and calendar. There was no app store but that’s when we truly started to see the power of software in a pocket sized phone. “You’re not always going to have a calculator with you Jimmy.” Are you sure about that Mrs. Green? (If only teachers knew how lazy mobile apps have made us)
Mobile Features
“We once called apps features because “features” were loaded in the phone’s Mobile Office Section.” Today, we call the different functionalities in an app features.
Who’s Your Sidekick?
In 2002, the Blackberry took mobile apps to the next level. Remember T-mobile’s Sidekick? That also came out in 2002! The Blackberry came with email, arcade games, ringtone editors, a to-do list, and so much more. These apps are the ancestors of the mobile apps we love and use today. (maybe not ringtone editors…)
The iPhone Era
“On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone was released” This was a big deal for most of us. The iPhone dramatically changed the mobile and mobile app industry. We had a phone with a multi touch screen and we said goodbye to physical keyboards. This was a two and half year project for Apple that cost the company a cool 150 million dollars.
What Store? The AppStore
In July of 2008, Apple’s App Store was released. Apple launched the app store with a featured list of 500 mobile apps. A staggering 10 million apps were downloaded in just three days. Today, over 2.1 million apps are available for download.
There Really is An App for that
Apple trademarked “there’s an app for that” in 2009. However, the term “app’ became the “Word of The Year” in 2010. Apple’s lingo is used worldwide today to describe applications in many devices.
Google Play
In August 2008, Google launched the android market. In 2012, the android market was rebranded and it became Google Play. Google Play housed Google Books, Google Music, Android Marketing and Video. In 2018, the estimated revenue for Google Play was a whopping $24.8 billion.
Mobile Apps Today
Today, we expect more from our mobile applications. We are spoiled with great experiences and freemium models in exchange for the historical value of our data. We love free but we’re also willing to pay for the meditation apps that keep us centered and the music apps that allow us to cut out advertisements and listen to our favorite artists wherever we go.
Whether it’s entertainment, communication or business, our apps have become our individual assistants, mental escapes and source of information.
In 2018, we spent an average of 3hrs and 35 minutes a day on our smartphones. 90% of that time was spent on apps. Here at Tangerine, we get to design and build those apps that keep you connected, organized or mesmerized. There is magic in bringing an idea to life and although we don’t know where apps will take us next, we can’t wait to dive deep into the next phenomenon. We hope you get the chance to bring a new idea to life with us and if you don’t, just remember there’s probably an app in the app store waiting to be downloaded by you.
Is VR the next app wave?
Let’s wait and see!
