Mobile applications quickly became important parts of our daily routines for the simple reason that these applications not only entertain users but also make certain tasks easier and doable. We all know how to download and make these apps work but most people are not privy to the history of mobile application development. Many believe that mobile application development actually started a few years ago when Apple ventured into a mobile app development program for their iPhone. This is nothing but a common misconception. The truth is that it may actually be Blackberry who first started the mobile application development through its wireless email by RIM more than a decade ago. Ever since then, mobile application development has advanced by leaps and bounds.
App Development through the Years
Although Blackberry may have paved the way for app development, Apple’s biggest and probably most important contribution is the iTunes marketplace, which gave app development a massive boost. It was with the introduction of iTunes that users were able to fully take advantage of mobile applications. Smartphone users were taken by storm when Apple launched their App Store in 2008, merely a year after the very first iPhone was made available to the public. In October of the same year, Google launched the Android Marketplace via HTC Dream which is acknowledged to be the first Android smartphone made available commercially. As soon as HTC Dream hit shelves, people were burdened and confused as to which option they should go for.
In April of 2009, Apple made history when the number of downloaded apps in the App Store surpassed the 1 billion mark, a feat so huge considering the fact that it was only eight months since the App Store was launched. This number continuously grew, reaching more than ten billion downloads by the last quarter of 2011. Google’s Android was no push-over, though. From a rocky start, it slowly proved itself to be another force to be reckoned with by reaching more than 1 billion downloads in April 2010. Meanwhile, January 2011 marked the time when Android Marketplace downloads surpassed the ten billion download mark. And it did not stop there, as the market for Android smartphones grew, the number of Android downloads grew as well, reaching over 25 billion by March 2012. Google later on changed the name Android Marketplace to Google Play which obviously did not affect the number of downloads.
Apps That Have Made History
It would be futile to talk about the history of app development without getting into the most popular and most downloaded apps in history. Beautiful Widget was the first Android app to reach the 1 billion mark in 2011. The social game Draw Something made another record with an astounding 50 million downloads merely 50 days after it was released. Instagram, on the other hand, got an impressive 38 million downloads three months after it was first introduced.
Apps Years from Now
Statistics show that around three-fourths of iPhone users download apps from famous brands while more than half say that they are also inclined to download apps of popular brands. This proves that mobile users are more interested in downloading apps from a brand that they recognize rather than downloading from a new organization. The demand for mobile apps has grown over the years and one proof of this is the users’ inclination to take advantage of mobile apps more than mobile web browsing. This is the reason why mobile app development seems to be the hottest trend today. People download apps for VoIP calls, entertainment, and educational purposes, among others. Mobile apps, hands down, revolutionized the way people address their needs.
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Author : Michelle Simpson is a full-time professional editor that focuses on online writing services, specialized in the field of technology like RingCentral Business Phone System, business and current trends in the industry.
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