![homescreenbeforeandafter1 The Ultracompetitive App Store Market [Hidden Gems]](http://wp.appadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/homescreenbeforeandafter1.jpg "homescreenbeforeandafter1")
I recently found the screenshot I took of my homescreen when I started with AppAdvice (then AppleiPhoneApps) five months ago, before OS 3.0 was released. It’s crazy when you sit back and think about the number of changes that can happen in such a short period of time.
I’m curious how it is for you, but for me the apps on my homescreen fluctuate on a weekly basis. Nearly half a year later, after testing out literally hundreds of apps, several of the apps on my homescreen are still the same ones I had when I started out. i.TV is still there, Todo by Appigo is still there, Facebook is still there. Though all three apps received major upgrades recently.
However, TweetDeck replaced Tweetie, Now Playing lost out to Flixster (for the time being) and Textfree replaced Apple’s SMS Messages app. Simplenote and Evernote together have replaced Apple’s Notes app too.
What this all tells me is that iPhone development is fast. While some of the apps I use today might be the same ones I used five months ago, I only use them today because they received massive upgrades in the interim. Each of the apps you see in my screenshot had an upgrade very recently and, in some cases, has been upgraded two or three times in five months time. We can (and do) complain non-stop about Apple’s approval process and the length of time it takes an app to get through, but the fact remains that it is still an insanely competitive market and if an app falls behind the competition it’s just one short wiggle away from being deleted.
In what other market is it that easy to get rid of a lagging product and adopt a competitor? The word hypercompetitive has been around for years to describe markets where it is difficult for companies to gain a solid advantage for an extended period of time. That term was coined before the iPhone though and before the existence of an App Store where it is takes mere seconds and costs nothing to install a better app that can do almost anything. This ultracompetitive market is keeping developers on their toes and pushing innovation years ahead of other App Stores.
So it gets me curious. What does your homescreen look like now and how has it changed in the last six months? Upload screenshots to Flickr, Twitpic or some service, link us to it in the comments and tell us about the changes. Why are apps on your homescreen? Why not?
Ha! Are those the same 11 outstanding “to-dos”? For some reason “reshingle the roof” just never gets crossed off, eh?
I knew someone would call me out on that
Pure coincidence.
Here’s what my homescreen has looked like for the past 2 months or so. My apps may change, but the homescreen remains the same. Everything gets stored away into one of the 4 categories.
http://i26.tinypic.com/10yoo75.jpg
Hey,
how is it possible to get 5 apps in one row? could you please tell me how to do that for my iphone 3gs? :=)
Here’s what my homescreen looked like for the past 3 months no changes for me.
http://i25.tinypic.com/2ef0pbt.png
Check out mine
http://i31.tinypic.com/25gb57n.png
I’ll try and find an older one.
I primarily got rid of the default apps (Voice memos, weather, youtube, calculator, maps etc.) and added the newer ones.
Still haven’t decided which one i like more, TweetDeck or Twittelator.
Also check out AirVideo…it streams movies off of your computer and converts on the fly. Best 2 bucks I’ve spent so far.
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q321/fishfishmonkeyhat/Temp/IMG_0106.png
Thank god for jailbreaking. But the contents of the folders do occasionally change.
Whoa dude..that looks sick. How did you do that?