The iPhone Effect: Smartphones and Their App Ecosystems Have Changed Everything

I firmly believe that the iPhone "changed everything" by introducing us to what is now referred to as the smartphone app ecosystem (see: New Definition for "Apps": The Smartphone Market for Medical Software). Think about the rules of this ecosystem and how they differ from what we were accustomed to when using only PCs: (1) we shop for new apps online and many of the best ones are free; (2) we are promptly notified about operating system and app upgrades when they become available and can make these changes quickly and online; (3) the device easily fits in our pocket, giving us ready access to all of our apps including a rapidly improving camera and video recorder; and (4) most of the available apps are easy to learn and useful. A recent article discussed this iPhone effect and made a number of salient points (see: The iPhone Effect: How Apple’s phone changed everything), Below is a listing of these key points:

The rise of smartphones

• Smartphone adoption in first quarter 2008 was 10 percent according to Nielsen. Nielsen predicts smartphones will outnumber feature phones by the end of this year.
• Worldwide smartphone sales will hit 468 million this year and reach 1.1 billion by 2015, according to Gartner.

Smartphones open the door for tablets

•  Apple has sold about 19.5 million iPad through the first quarter of this year.
•  Gartner estimates there will be 294 million tablets in 2015.

App ecosystems thrive

• Apple’s App Store now boasts 425,000 apps, with 14 billion app downloads and $2.5 billion paid to developers to date.
• The Android Market has 200,000 apps and has had 4.5 billion downloads as of May.
• IDC now expects 182.7 billion mobile app downloads by 2015 across all platforms.
• Canalys estimates mobile app revenue will hit $14.1 billion next year and rise to $36.7 billion by 2015.

I really have nothing to add to this list other than to say that I am currently personally using an HTC Evo 4G android phone that continues to delight me on a daily basis. The battery life of the phone is a little disappointing but it's constantly working to update my Gmail and Google Calendar. I am therefore willing to accept this downside on the basis of the useful services that it provides on a continuing basis. I am now also using a Bluetooth headset so that my phone can stay plugged to an electrical outlet during my weekly longish conference calls for which I use Google Voice so the time does not count against my cellphone minutes.

Comments

[Clint Rowley]

It's true, everything is rapidly improving and smartphones are the present and the future.

[call Iraq]

If I may add something else to the list. According to a recent study( I guess that's what it should be called) a person would need to spend over 750 000 $ to buy all the apps available in iTunes for iPhone and iPad

[Christopher Metts]

If I wanted to create an app for a practicing pathologist, what do you think it should do?

[Melbourne Electrician]

I adore every information you have here. Glad you've shared this. Thanks! :)