Why Apps Are So Important?

[k0de]

A Phone with no apps is just a phone. It is that simple.

Call me but don't beam me up Scottie.
Huh, that's boring.

Do you remember back in the early 2000's those phones with no apps?
I remember them. Simple make a call devices. Some were able to receive and send text messaging.
Huh, that's boring too.

And therefore were called dumb phones.

But things change and Apps were born. Thus the smartphone was born into the world.

using System;
namespace HelloWorld
{
    class Hello 
    {
        static void Main() 
        {
            Console.WriteLine("HelloWorld I am a Smart Phone beacause of Apps!");
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
}

Smart Phones are not only a phone. It is a Mini Portable Computer and its Hybrid. And can transform because of apps.
It is that simple.
Huh now that is exciting.

Why Apps Are So Important?

Because apps transform my DumbPhone to a SmartPhone.

So what. What's the use?

My Phone is no longer a calling and texting device. My phone now is a phone on steroids.
And depending on the app that I ignite with touch it becomes that.

For example:

An alarm clock, a game console, a calendar, a search engine, my bank, a social network, a messenger, a compass, an astronomy tool, a lotto picker, a photo editor, a cloud storage viewer, a calculator, a drone remote control, a tv remote control, a weather channel and what ever other apps that are created.

Recently apps are raining on Windows Phones. At this rate when the remaining apps that you need arrive. All Windows Phone user will no longer be just using a Phone. But will overdosing their phones on steroids, Lol.

Do you use apps and how important are apps to you?
Or you just don't care about apps and use Windows Phone for the great phone that it is without apps?

Share your Thoughts.....

 

[F3rzz]

i read the tittle and thought "my god... another 'App gap doesn't exist, i am happy with the apps available, etc" and came to Write what you just said,except the code, and shorter. sassy gifs included.

 

[k0de]

ESP is real. Lol

How do you like your phone on steroids. When downloading you favorite apps?

For me I get super excited when apps that I like land on Windows Phone.

 

[F3rzz]

I love apps, i love new ones, i happen to not use them aaaaalll the time, but i want them to be there when i need them :3

That's why i think iOS is the better one, all the apps are there. All of them. and it Works smoothly and quickly. Don't get me wrong tho, i love love LOVE my Lumia 920 :* and don't want to change it.



EDIT: had to google (opps...) what ESP is... and tbh, when i was a kid i would be watching Mtv and think damn i want to watch Shakira's "Objection" video, i would change the channel one up to my Country's music cannel and it would be playing.

i didn't think "damn" i was too good to be cursing, and it was the Spanish version of that song "Te aviso, te anuncio"

see i'm magic and sassy

 

[rluka]

I don't think iOS or Android is far better than Windows Phone (or Blackberry, Jolla, Meego(♰), WebOS(♰), etc)
But the library of application is far far better, and thus the popular platform ends up capable of doing much more. Yes, there are many functions I can live without, but it's better than left without functions I can't live without.

Like you said, devices now are used for more tasks.
These are not served by the phone makers alone. We have many 3rd party services available, and to use them we need the apps. That's why they're important.
In the dumb phone era, every phone makers can build their own image viewer, text editor or video player. But now, the phone makers won't have enough resource to keep up with building "features" (apps) for thousands of 3rd party services out there while keeping it up to date. In case where there's no public API, that feature would even be impossible to build.

The phone itself, I almost never make phone call for years. Communication are done with chat, mail, message board, and of course, talk to them directly. Phone and SMS ends up used for the "where the hell are you!?" or "get your arse here right now!" thing

 

[Laura Knotek]

Yes, I use apps on my Lumia 920. I agree with you that smartphones really are computers, just in a small form factor. I have 185 apps on my Lumia 920.

A desktop computer without apps (or programs) is pretty useless too. I have 169 Windows Store apps on my PC, plus 75 desktop programs.

 

[melvintwj]

Hail Rudy

 

[k0de]

Yes, I use apps on my Lumia 920. I agree with you that smartphones really are computers, just in a small form factor. I have 185 apps on my Lumia 920.

A desktop computer without apps (or programs) is pretty useless too. I have 169 Windows Store apps on my PC, plus 75 desktop programs.

Cool Laura.

Question though. How do you transform your phone to something other than a phone.

With out app selections?

Elaborate. Thanks

 

[Laura Knotek]

Cool Laura.

Question though. How do you transform your phone to something other than a phone. With your app selections?

Elaborate. Thanks

The phone feature is probably my least used feature. I've never enjoyed talking on the phone, even back when landlines were all that were available.

Yes, I use my apps regularly to do what I would've done on a desktop PC when I'm on the go and not around a desktop PC.

 

[k0de]

The phone feature is probably my least used feature. I've never enjoyed talking on the phone, even back when landlines were all that were available.

Yes, I use my apps regularly to do what I would've done on a desktop PC when I'm on the go and not around a desktop PC.

Good answer.

But question is.

Transforming your phone to hybrid with apps.

Example my phone is no longer a phone but a calculator because a app.

Or a game console because a app.

Question again Laura.

What do you transform your phone into with an apps?

 

[hidayat225]

A life companion.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Good answer.

But question is.

Transforming your phone to hybrid with apps.

Example my phone is no longer a phone but a calculator because a app.

Or a game console because a app.

Question again Laura.

What do you transform your phone into with an apps?

MP3 player, GPS, store loyalty card storage (replaces physical cards on keychain), camera, FM radio, calculator, alarm clock, ebook reader, actual store (Amazon.com, Newegg.com apps), email client, PDA (calendar/Cortana reminders, OneNote), weather station (weather apps).

 

[k0de]

MP3 player, GPS, store loyalty card storage (replaces physical cards on keychain), camera, FM radio, calculator, alarm clock, ebook reader, actual store (Amazon.com, Newegg.com apps), email client, PDA (calendar/Cortana reminders, OneNote), weather station (weather apps).

Cool you rock. That is what we talking about. thanks. Lol

 

[prasath1234]

I use apps that are available in windows phone I have all apps I need.BTW am not app freak or a gamer

 

[k0de]

I use apps that are available in windows phone I have all apps I need.BTW am not app freak or a gamer

Congrats. I am very happy that Windows Phone met all your needs. But everyone has different needs.

Questions?

Are you a Doctor, investor, banker, small business owner, teacher, construction worker, astronomer, computer scientists, a dentist. Just to name a few.

News for you. "They don't exist on Windows Phone Store". But to be on the positive side. These apps are in production.

Gamers hmm.... Neither I'm I.
But apps transform my phone to a game console on steroids. If I was a gamer.

And beyond your imagination.

Hmmm. Perhaps transform my phone to a science lab if I was a scientists.

Hmm. Perhaps transform my phone to be a mechanical engineer tool if I did construction.

Hmm. Or perhaps transform my phone to a college intuition if I was a professor.

And so on the possibilities are well and far beyond games.

Again && again. We live in a OOW (Object Oriented World) and mobile phones go on steroids with OOP (Object Oriented Programming).

Apps and only apps can accomplish this.

Lol.

Apps are important for the ecosystem.

 

[KTH B1]

I said this in comments before, but "all apps I need" is totally disingenuous. Surely when the apps you don't have and didn't need become available, I bet wholeheartedly you're trying them out and keeping some of them, right? And suddenly, 'all you need' just grew by one, right?

The thing is, I could make that same excuse. What other apps do I 'need'? Not many, I have 'all the apps I need' as well. That doesn't mean its a good excuse. There are apps I don't know about that could be useful. It IS important.

I also do champion 3rd party apps. The tumblr app is a total piece of crap... the 3rd party alternatives on WP are definitely more functional. When there was NO Pandora, I used 3rd party Pandora apps that were very well done and offered a couple of extra features. I do agree that there is too much emphasis placed on 'official' apps.

My other point I made in the comments about these App Gap deniers is that closing the app gap is also a doubled edged sword. When one ecosystem has 7 out of 10 apps you want, but the other ecosystem has 9 out of 10 apps you want... that puts decision-making down to the 'little things'. You know what? ALL cars have 4 wheels and have A/C... so what does an individual consumer's choice come down to? The little things.

 

[Xellsama]

I own over 380 apps on my Windows Phone, currently have about 300 installed.

To me there are a few different "levels" of app quantity in an ecosystem.

The first is "what are apps?", these refers to OS like the ones we used to have on regular cellphones. The phones come with some basic functions, no ability to grow until your next purchase. People make purchasing choice purely based on the design and specification of the phone.

The second is "oh apps we got those." These are for OS like Blackberry, the new Firefox OS. They have apps, but typically too inadequate to be the face of the platform due to the small amount of availability or the poor performance.

Then there is "we have some apps, probably okay with basic stuff". This was Windows Phone at the launch of WP8. The phone can indeed be considered smart because it does many other things than making a call and text. It performs functions well above a regular cellphone, but its potential still needs to be proven.

The fourth level is "we can probably find an app for whatever you are looking for, but you might have to compromise a little here and there". This to me is the current state of Windows Phone, its moving fast through this phase especially since the launch of WP8.1. We are at where iOS was at in terms of app amount in mid/late 2010, and Android in late 2011. Both platforms grew exponentially the year after, especially Android. This is because at this stage the quantity is large enough to maintain an interest for the customer, so more focus is on the quality of the app. With better quality your phone becomes smarter, this to me is a lot more important than having 20 choice for each thing I want to do.

After that is the "of course there's an app for that" stage. You have more than enough apps to maintain interest, and the apps are all pretty competitive with each other and duking out on the UX. This is where diversity and specialization happens (not that they weren't there before, but not as much). Functions from different apps begin to be extracted, regrouped and integrated to form new apps, serving all segments of consumers. This is when people begin to focus more on their own flavor.

After that, it really makes little difference which platform you are on. To me Android and iOS's app selection is no longer a factor for purchase. The purchasing decision comes a full circle back to design and hardware specification, in which case iOS wins for some (uniformity) and Android wins other aspects (customization).

So why are apps so important? True, they make the phone smarter. But I would like to think that at this stage for the top three platforms (well, much more important to WP right now) it's the quality that makes the most difference. I think most of us feel that our computer is smarter than our phone, it certainly can do more, and often in a more efficient and complete way. But most of the users also have very few programs installed on the computer than the number of apps on their phones. Why? Because these programs are well designed and powerful. They are flexible to different situations and can be specialized for anything.

My Windows Phone is doing everything I need for now, better in some categories than rest. In the upcoming years it might be able to do even more, or my need might outgrow it, though the trend looks positive right now.

 

[prasath1234]

Guys windows phone has superior offline navigation capability thanks to here drive plus which is very useful at least in India.thanks Nokia.does android have this offline navigation app.here WP wins.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

Guys windows phone has superior offline navigation capability thanks to here drive plus which is very useful at least in India.thanks Nokia.does android have this offline navigation app.here WP wins.

Yes, Android does.

 

[dby2011]

Have to disagree with some of it, WP still needs apps. Here is a story- we finally gave in to my 14 year old daughter in 8th grade last Chrustmas and got a smart phone after she only using her Ipod touch for the last 2 years. I was not going to get her a $600.00+ phone on contract for her first phone. She needed to show me some responsibility first. The best bargin out there in the US right now is Tmobile's $30.00 a month plan- unlimited texting, unlimited data (first 5gb is at 4G) and 100 minutes of talk. Teenagers never actually talk on their phone anyway so it is perfect. I got her a Lumia 521 and she had it for 6 months but complained about no front camera and a couple games would not work on it becuae of the 512 ram limitation. For her birthday in June I picked up a Lumia 810, put WP 8.1 dev preview on it and she really liked it with the exception of one things- apps! Kik is huge with her friends and the whole school she goes too- its a major way they all text each other. Kik works just ok on her phone but has a lot of issues since it hasn't been updated because of the whole webkit thing. I tried to tell her to get her friends on Whatsapp or another service that is just as good as Kik but no one will do it. That one app will be the reason she will probably dump her WP phone when my wife gets a new iPhone in Sept and she gets her old iPhone 5. I know apps don't mean everything, but in this case it really does. I am hoping that maybe something big is going to happen with WP, maybe MS will offer a way for developers to easily port Android apps to WP but we will see. For me the music situation with WP is not that great either, Xbox music is still not up to par and apps like Onemusic still are not as good as what I have seen on Android or Apple. Music is a huge part of my mobile experience for me. I may be dumping WP this fall if things don't change. So I do think apps are still important- even one app can make or break someone's experience. For my daughter it's the Kik app, for me it the sub par music experience. 8.1 is great and has been a good experience, it really does put it on par with iOS and Android, but it is still the apps that separate it from those 2.