The Mangetism of an iPhone App

Filed in archive Mobility on November 13, 2009

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If you read this blog regularly at all, you may know that personally I am a huge fan of smartphones. Though I will admit I've fallen in love with a particular brand. Its probably not what you expect from a 20-something marketing and tech girl. Its true, I'm smitten with my Blackberry. However, I can still appreciate the iPhone. And it is the number one mobile platform for apps (though Android is quickly gaining).

I don't normally think about iPhone apps but I read a very interesting article in MediaPost this week that made me pause. It was titled "Enter the age of the App?" The main point of the article is that iPhone in particular is being flooded with apps. Everyone and their brother has created some silly little game that can be played on your phone. The problem is, there are so many, that's its hard to sift through all the applications to find the real winners among all the bogus toys. The author, Steve Smith, believes that this will lead to the next big innovation in mobile-kinda like the search engine for the web.

Smith is totally right. We need some innovation in that area. However, my question is, how did we get here? Why are there so many thousands of apps? There can't be that much of a demand for them, really? What is it that makes an iPhone app so appealing? Blackberries don't have nearly the same app options and are considered to be the "working" smartphone. If Blackberries make work easier, does that mean iPhones make play easier and exist mostly for entertainment?

My answer to all these questions is: I don't know. I don't have an iPhone, I don't need many apps except very specific beneficial ones that fit my day-to-day routine (aka, weather and map apps). So instead I'm asking you, dear readers, what do you use apps for?

What is the magnetism of the iPhone app store that drives you to purchase tiny little programs for entertainment value only (or is it for that only)?