Development of Mobile Applications

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/feb/13/history-mobile-apps-future-interactive-timeline

In Chapter 9, we learned about development and acquiring information systems. One form of this that affected nearly all of us over the past 22 years is the development of mobile applications. Below I listed a timeline, which I acquired from the article listed above, of just a few examples of the development of mobile applications from 1983 until today.

June 1983: Steve Jobs predicts a software distribution system at a conference in Aspen. He was quoted as saying “the future isn’t what it used to be”

January 1987: The Psion EPOC was released. This handheld computer used an operating system, which had basic applications such as a diary.

August 1993: Apple created the Newton MessagePad which contained built in apps such as web, e-mail, calendar, and address book.
November 1993: A Business Week article predicts “the future information appliances will instantly make the connections to a world of digitalized entertainment communications” and data on the superhighway or over the airwaves.

December 1997: The Nokia 6110 made an appearance. This device was the first phone to posses the game “Snake”, setting the bar for mobile games.

October 1999: Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) was introduced. This allowed users to access information over a mobile wireless network for the first time.

October 2001: Apple releases the first IPod that included apps such as solitaire and brick and offered “1,000 songs in your pocket”.

April 2003: Apple launches the ITunes Music Store., 1 million songs sell in the first week.

June 2007: Apple announces that developers can create Web 2.0 applications, which look and behave just like the applications built into the IPhone.

June 2007: The first IPhone is launched. 270,000 phones sold during the first 30 hours of sales.

July 2008: The App Store is launched. Originally there were 552 apps total and 135 of them were free.

September 2008: Apples App Store reaches 100 million downloads.

October 2008: Google’s Android market is launched. This would become Apple’s key rival.

April 2009: Blackberry World is launched. It becomes the third major distributor of mobile applications.

December 2009: Angry Birds is launched. Angry birds would go on to become the best-selling paid application of all time. It would also go on to reach 1 billion downloads.

October 2010: Windows Phone Store is launched and becomes the fourth major distributor of mobile applications.

January 2011: The word “app” was voted word of the year for 2010.

March 2011: Amazon App Store is launched.

June 2011: Zynga Games lose 36 million users since 2012. This is a clear sign that consumers are shifting to games found on mobile devices.

December 2011: Apple reveals that the app revolution has added more than 291,250 jobs to the U.S. economy since the introduction of IPhone in 2007.

April 2012. Facebook acquires Instagram. With a price tag of $1 billion, this is currently the highest ever paid for an app company.

November 2012: Candy Crush is released and would become the most downloaded application of 2013.

May 2013: Apples app store reveals its top downloads list. Angry Birds tops the paid list while the Facebook app tops the free downloads.

June 2013: Universal’s Despicable me app makes the top ten list for 2013 showing traditional media moving towards mobile applications.

July 2013: Previously known as the Android Market, Google Play has more than 50 billion downloads.

January 2014: 1.75 billion smartphones are predicted to be used around the globe. Data from Nielsen shows that U.S. users of smartphones spend 65% more time each month using apps than they did just two years ago.

May 2014: After rejecting Facebook’s $3 billion offer, Snapchat continues to be a rising app sharing over 700 million photos everyday.

June 2014: App Store reaches 75 billion downloads.

September 2014: 20.3% of App Store downloads are games, with 10.36% educational apps and 1.9% social networking

1. What event listed above do you believe was the most important in regards to the development of mobile applications?

2. What is your most used, and favorite mobile application?

3. Do you have any visions of what mobile applications may evolve into in the future?