Though the Apple iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone, the company created a New cell phone trend when they opened their online App Store in 2008. For those who don’t know, an app or application is simply a mini computer programme that can be downloaded directly to your smartphone. These programmes let users play games, perform important business functions, and much, much more.
But if it wasn’t for iPhone apps, few people would be aware of the industry. That’s right…industry. Just a year and a half after it opened, the Apps Store celebrated its one billionth download. That’s billion, with a "b".
In response to this unprecedented online demand, Apple has gone into overtime and has been producing apps at an incredible pace. In fact, according to recent estimates, the Apps Store currently offers between seventy-five and one hundred thousand unique applications. Though no one can be certain of the exact number, all signs point to increased expansion of the Apps Store catalogue.
In response to Apple’s success, as you might expect, a number of other prominent smartphone manufacturers have established their own stores. Though they pale by comparison to the Apps Store, most are working hard to try to catch up.
But what makes the Apps store a formidable foe, asides from the sheer number of applications, is the fact that they offer apps for both practicable and entertainment purposes. Currently, they are the number one provider of mobile games and office apps.
