What To Expect For 2011: App Store

The App Store, despite its short existence, has revolutionized software. Whether it's pricing, distribution, or even the vision of the developers. Aren't today's kids idolizing iOS app developers rather than astronauts? If you consider how many youngsters under 15 are already pitching us on their apps everyday, there is definitely something going on there. We haven't seen anything yet, and 2011 is definitely going to be another big year for mobile applications. It will be the continuation of the trend that's been going strong since the launch of the iPhone; the mobile "softwarization" of the world. Everyday, a new real world object or service is being made obsolete by apps, and the last two years have been huge in that regard. For example, think of apps that do GPS navigation, alarm clocks, video streaming, and music creation. The list could go on and on. This is only the start, and without a doubt, there are a lot of inroads to be made in this space. It will happen, especially if Apple gives developers new API's that allow new progress. A recent example to consider: the Word Lens app. It does realtime augmented reality translation of Spanish signs. It's brilliant, and replaces the need for a dictionary altogether. It actually addresses a need better than a dictionary app could. See? There is still so much that could be done. Another big trend of 2010 that illustrates this well is content delivery. With the iPad, we've seen an explosion of apps that try to reinvent the way you get your news and information. Whether it's books with iBooks, realtime news with Flipboard, or regular newspapers with an app like the NYTimes for iPad. None of these have the perfect formula yet, as we're not seeing people dumping newspapers or magazines. However, it will come, and whoever gets it right is going to make some serious money. Hopefully 2011 will be the year this happens. Same thing with video. We've seen the arrival of Hulu and Netflix on our mobile devices. They are already a success, but because of licensing and technical limitations they are very limited and far from perfect. This industry is very tough, and controlled by a few big players, so it will take time. Nevertheless, video content is going mobile, and will get better very soon. Also, video is going to be omnipresent thanks to technologies like AirPlay, that will hopefully let you bring Netflix to your TV with just your handset. Often, these replacements aren't obvious ones. Consider, for example, Instagr.am, which is doing really well; it doesn't really replace a real world service per se. Location aware apps that recommend nearby restaurants could be seen as a replacement for sidewalk food vendors. Still, these two show that there is a lot that can be done and we're confident that a lot of our needs are still not being addressed. Who knows what else could be done by just combining a GPS, a gyroscope, a high speed internet connection, and a high definition camera. Where will all this be happening? This will be a mobile revolution, and expect it on iOS first. While Android is growing, and experts are saying it will take over the lead, it won't. People love their iDevices because of what they allow them to do, and how they replace other things they used to need. It makes their life simpler. Right now Android's MarketPlace is, by comparison, very much like Cydia. For the consumer, the apps are not there, or at least not in the same quantity and quality as they are on iOS. As for the developers, Android apps are powered by ads, which simply doesn't cut it most of the time. The iOS user is ready to pay for the value an app brings to them. So yes, 2011 will be the year of iOS, once again. That's what you should expect for 2011. Get ready to have your smart phone become the one and only thing you need to bring with you everywhere. Your iDevice will make payments with NFC, unlock your car, bring movies to your TV and much, much more. On that note, I'd like to wish you all a happy new year from the AppAdvice team. See you next year!