Hidden Gems: A Billion Downloads
Apple's App Store officially passed the billion app download mark last week and I'd like to take a moment in my column to consider what a billion app downloads in just nine months means.
Using my calculations (which hopefully don't explain why I failed Algebra II in high school), there was an average of 43 apps downloaded per second during that time.
Sadly, an app that makes it look like you're drinking beer and a fart app are among the most downloaded paid apps ever. This means, in the time it took me to write this, iBeer and iFart Mobile probably sold enough copies to make most of the developer's whose apps I try to feature in this column weep tears of pure despair.
Putting it simply, that's just not fair. Nor is it right. The problem is clear: app discovery sucks.
Apple had its 2009 second quarter conference call last week as well. It was as boring as you would expect until someone asked the company's head honchos this question:
"In view of the explosion in the number of applications for the iPhone and the iTouch, I was wondering what steps Apple is taking to ensure that the iPhone apps can be discovered. And are these any different from music discovery on the app store?"
I couldn't have worded the question better myself. Apple's response:
'We're doing a number of things. We include easy to find top 50 and 100 apps both paid for and free. We've got them associated in various genres as well and we're expanding those."
Great, Apple will begin to break down more than just games into sub-genres. That's a good start. Unfortunately, it isn't going to get the job done. Not by a long shot.
The app store is completely different from the music and movie stores. Those only sell temporary entertainment. Four minutes of auditory enjoyment or two hours of viewing pleasure and you're done. The app store provides temporary entertainment too, and, unsurprisingly, those are the apps getting downloaded the most.
However, a precious few apps have the ability to fundamentally change the way you live, spend your time or get things done. Not to be overdramatic, but the ingenuity of developers is incredible, the breadth of apps populating the app store is astonishing and there are few tools, if any, to help people find these hidden gems.
App discovery needs drastic improvement. Maybe the answer is a genius recommendation system. Maybe it's a featured iPhone user's section that lets anybody see what an iPhone power user has installed on his or her phone. Maybe it's a premium store. Maybe the solution is an app itself.
In the meantime, at the mark of a billion downloads, I raise a real beer to all you hidden gem developers who aren't getting the downloads they deserve and the desperate iPhone users who want cool and useful apps on their iPhone and don't know where to look.
"Here's to the crazy ones."
Main Hidden Gems
GoSkyWatch Planetarium ($9.99)
GoSkyWatch Planetarium and its sister app below, GoSatWatch, give you something extremely cool. They make looking at the night sky interesting again.
We reviewed GoSkyWatch not long after the app store opened, so please check it out here (SPOILER: it's great). Now the app is in version 3.0 and more powerful than ever.
The short of it is, with GoSkyWatch, users are given an immensely powerful tool for understanding and appreciating the stars, constellations and planets.
So consider forking over the $9.99 if you fancy the idea of holding your phone to the night sky, like some ancient mariner and his arcane navigation tool, as you ponder what's up there.
GoSatWatch ($9.99)
Thousands of man-made mechanical bits speed over our heads all the time. Many of these satellites are visible and GoSatWatch makes it possible to find out when they'll be there. Cool.
Weekly Gems
PocketMeter
I don't know about you, but when I first used Shazam to pull the name of a song out of mid-air I thought it was one of the coolest moments I've ever had with technology.
I think PocketMeter might have one upped it. I mean, my God, someone has effectively turned the iPhone into sonar. If you're impressed by Shazam being able to pull song names out of mid-air, how about the ability to measure distances accurate to half an inch using only sound. That's what PocketMeter does. Wow. Check out Tyler Tschida's excellent write up on it here. Sadly, the app only works for iPhone 3G owners, so I'm not able to benefit from a sonar-enabled iPhone.
Just goes to show, give someone a microphone and speakers and an incredible platform to develop on with the potential to reach millions of people and you get apps that blow your mind.
Fluid (Free)
I'm not one for toy apps, but I love that Fluid is open source and the developer describes this app so succinctly.
"Fluid turns your iPhone/iTouch screen into a liquid surface. Totally interactive with your fingers, it will keep the kids busy for a while."
I don't have a kid, so I downloaded Fluid and did the next best thing. I handed it over to my child-like fiance. She instantly grinned and started sliding her finger across the surface of the phone. "I love it," she said. "It's so relaxing."
Air America Radio (Free)
Democrats control all three branches of the United States government and the release of Air America Radio doesn't make things any easier for Republicans.
This app does one thing - open it and Air America Radio streams Air America Radio. Sure, single use apps are so last October, but this app is the type of simple and effective release that'd be great to see more of. Sometimes you just don't want to sift through 1,000 stations. Sometimes you want your bias just one tap away.
