Technology makes the world go round and sometimes it can make you feel nostalgic. Remember when you used to have a Dial-up internet connection and when someone started talking over the phone you lost connection to the internet? We’ve come a long way since then. Let’s delve deeper and take a quick glance at the evolution of mobile applications.
Given that technology is constantly evolving, our mobile devices are getting more and more powerful, embedding newer and newer features. Your devices now have AI-controlled personal assistants, you can just talk to your devices and use them to manage your day to day tasks.
Mobile applications are no exception. Apps have evolved a lot since the early days, you can now pay using your phone, video chat with multiple people, scan products in the grocery store with the touch of a button.
Now you’re wondering how did this all start? Let’s take a look at the awe-inspiring evolution of mobile applications.
The history of mobile applications
Everything began with the first smartphone ever to be launched for general use by IBM back in 1993. The first-ever smartphone was equipped with features like a calculator, world clock, calendar and contact book and all of this was coded in Java.
The next major achievement in the field of mobile application development can be associated with the Blackberry – it took mobile applications to the next level. The Blackberry came with built-in emailing, arcade games, ringtone editors, a to-do list and many more. These applications are the ancestors of the mobile apps we love and use today.
The next major milestone when it comes to applications can be marked with the launch of the first-ever iPhone – back in 2007. This was a big deal for most of us. The iPhone dramatically changed the mobile and mobile app history. That was the time when most people decided to say goodbye to physical keyboards and embraced the new multi-touch screen technology.
Before the iPhone came out, smartphones were big, clunky devices, half keyboard, and half screen. Full websites didn’t run on mobile devices, so companies were forced to build weak, mobile versions of their sites. Apple changed all that – but at what cost? It actually took Apple 150 million $ and two and a half years to develop the first iPhone.
Although by today’s standards, the first iPhone looks like a primitive brick, it stands as a reminder of how far technology and mobile application development has come.
There’s an app for that!
The famous phrase was trademarked by Apple back in 2009. However, the term “app” became the most searched term and even “Word of the year” in 2010. Apple’s lingo is used worldwide today to describe applications on many devices.
Two camps
Today, mobile users are mainly divided in two camps: iOS users, and Android users. While Apple was the first company to bring the concept of the modern touchscreen smartphone to customers, the iPhone’s market share drastically dropped since it was first introduced.
In 2010, Android overtook iOS in market share, becoming the world’s most popular mobile operating system. Today Android maintains over 80% of the global market share, making it the most popular mobile operating system.
There are two dominant marketplaces out there from where you can download your apps based on the operating system on your phone:
Both the App Store and Google Play were first launched back in 2008, they both contain a large variety of apps which allow their users to use their smartphones in different ways.
Mobile applications today:
Today’s apps have come a long way compared to the first ones launched – we are spoiled with great experiences and freemium models in exchange for the historical value of our data. Free applications are the most popular ones, but we like to pay for meditation apps that keep us centered and the music apps which allow us to cut out ads and listen to our favorite songs wherever we go.
Whether we’re talking about entertainment, communication or business, mobile applications have become our individual assistants, they offer a way to escape from reality from time to time.
Statistics show that in 2018 we have spent an average of 3 hours and 35 minutes a day on our smartphones. 90% of the time we spend on apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and other apps which are associated with social platforms.
Over the years, JustApplications has had the chance to build and design a large variety of apps, some were made to save lives, others to keep users entertained. We’ve built apps to help business owners to manage their inventory more smoothly, we’ve built apps for hospitals and even for companies that are about bringing clean water to 3rd world countries. There is the magic behind bringing ideas to life, and although we don’t know where mobile applications will take us next, we are up for any challenges.
We hope that you will have the chance to bring your new ideas to life together with us and our award-winning designers and developers. We can’t wait to hear from you!