"Most of the software released these days, is boring. If you don’t believe me, browse around the software section of your favourite (online) retailer. See anything that excites you? No? Thought so."
Source (http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/03/15/how-will-apps-influence-the-software-universe/)
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How different is the world of apps. Apps are fun! They usually do one thing really, really good. It’s not as if ground-breaking mobile apps are released everyday, but there’s more innovation here than there has been in software land in the past five years. These apps vary in price from free to a couple of local currency. Only a few are what you would call “expensive”. While it makes sense to have small, easy to use apps on your phone, I wonder whether it’s a good thing the apps are now making their way to desktop land.
Some of the comments:
Tim Acheson said:
"Apps" are overrated.
Most are either pointless gimmicks duplicating functionality already available in the web browser. Apps are popular on iOS partly because the web browser is so bad! (Flash doesn't work, etc.)
Please don't compare the "Apps (trademark)" on iOS and Android to the real software applications available on Windows including Windows 7 tablets.
This article sounds like it's written by somebody utterly brainwashed by Apple's marketing.
Author replies:
"This article sounds like it's written by somebody utterly brainwashed by Apple's marketing."
That's why I wrote this article: because people are going on and on about apps (and it's not hard to see why) - not about new software. I don't think it is necessarily a good thing that the app model makes its way to our desktops (It's not just the Mac App Store, but also the Chrome App thing and future Windows Marketplace that try to cash in on the app hype). Still, software could learn something from the user-friendliness the best apps have to offer. Compared to some of the crap that lands on my desk every week, these apps are HEAVEN.
Tim Acheson replies:
"people are going on and on about apps"
That's so true. Of course, the word "app" is just an abbreviation of the term "application", but from Apple's marketing you could be forgiven for believing that Apple invented the concept of software installed on a base OS! Indeed, Apple is actually trying to copyright "App" in the context of their App Store.
"Still, software could learn something"
So true -- many of the apps I've seen look beautiful. I even think web apps could be improved by taking lessons from software apps on mobile devices. I asked a UX designer I work with about this, and he pointed out that the smaller screen real estate forces him to focus on the interface like never before.
Food for Thought:
Consistent with the mega-trend that reached the knee of the hockey stick curve 3-4+ years ago - the hyper-fragmentation of all things digital. -Philip Hotchkiss