Darwin’s Theory for Evolution of the Apps

The world has turned into a “Global village” through mobile apps and they have made everything just a click away. Nowadays, it’s like our life revolves around mobile apps. With the evolution of technology, apps are also constantly evolving. It’s a known fact that what was once the most innovative app is considered old school now.

We are so engulfed by apps today that it is almost impossible to be away from these even for a day. We need them to wake up, calculate the calories, navigate the route to the office, and almost everything.

Just as Charles Darwin mentioned survival of the fittest through adaptation and sustainability as the basic necessity in his theory of evolution, the same concept applies to mobile apps too. They have been around for two decades and now have become an enthralling and integrated part of our life.

With the increasing demand for apps that provide the best user experience, startups and enterprises are in the hunt for the best. Hire an expert mobile app company that provides quality app development services and ensures that the best user interface is designed for your mobile app solution.

With the apps holding such an important place in our day-to-day life, it’s important to know where it all started. How app development became the phenomenon it is now? Let us rewind our memories to the mid-nineties (1994) and see how apps became such a vital part of our life and mind you folks! The tale is going to be fun.

Let us unfurl the excitement!!

1994: The dawn of the apps

Before the current superheroes (i.e. iPhone and Android), there was Simon, the first-ever smartphone that was launched in 1994 by IBM. It had over 10 inbuilt apps like a calculator, calendar, address book, mail, etc (yes back in 1994, these were considered apps).

You must be thinking, hey there was no such word as apps back then. Yes, you are mighty correct, these were known as the inbuilt features. Remember the snake game (most of the millennials will) was also considered as a gaming app in the early Nokia mobiles and made them very popular too.

The “Qwerty” Swansong

RIM (Research in Motion) introduced its first smartphone with the launch of the Blackberry 5810 in 2002. The phone was integrated with wireless email, to-do lists, ringtone editors, sketchpad, etc. These apps were the happy ancestors of the apps we so love nowadays.

With its amazing features and pre-loaded apps, Blackberry ruled the kingdom of apps and app development till the game changer arrived and took everybody by storm.

The Game changer: iPhone

iPhone became the “fulcrum” of the app industry, since its launch in 2007 and changed the scenario of the apps and the perspective of app development. It was pre-loaded with amazing apps like Maps, photos, text messages, weather reports, etc. And, then came the most revolutionary moment, Apple before the launch of iPhone 3G announced the iPhone software development kit to integrate third-party apps.

In July 2008, Apple’s App store went live and featured more than 500 apps at that time. A staggering 10 million apps were downloaded within 3 days of the launch of the app store. Steve Jobs termed it the Grand Slam.

Native Applications and coining the word App

The app stores are comprised of more than 800 native applications. Out of these, over 200 apps were free and more than 90% cost less than $10. This was the beginning of the Juggernaut of Apps. The dawn came to its full light and optimal shine. The word App became such a rage that in 2010, it was named “Word of the year” by the American Dialect Society.

Apple was leading the way in the app industry, but there was still a revolution waiting for its turn and when it came, it revolutionized the Android market.

Google Play: Google’s launching suit in the app industry

With a view of bringing all of its content under one roof, Google introduced its application store and named it Google Play. Launched in 2012, it revolutionized the Android market as the customers had Google play, books, and video offerings all in the same place. It rebranded Android as apps became a household name.

Apps soon became a must for every gadget be it our tablets or personal computers. In fact, on big-screen devices, it became an even bigger hit. Moreover, as the apps started reaching every device, the download rates of the apps also increased exponentially. For instance, DrawSomething, a picture game made 1 million downloads in 9 days which Facebook took almost 9 months to achieve.

Games became an inseparable part

Apps made a major role in the evolution of mobile games too. Games, which were played just for fun, soon created humongous revenues for their developing companies. As per stats, an astounding 63% of iOS revenue was generated from Candy Crush, Temple Run, and the omnipresent Angry Birds. Moreover, they played an important role in enhancing the branding also.

Gaming apps became so popular that their download ratio increased more than other apps. Mobile game app development almost became a mania, for instance, the Angry Birds game reached 4 million downloads in two years, and more recently PokemonGo, who even break the record of Twitter for the most number of downloads and users in a single day.

With their growing popularity, apps underwent dramatic changes right from 3D touch technology to attractive materials.

Wearing the Apps: The trend just got trendier

With people wanting to be with their beloved apps every time, it urged the necessity of carrying them everywhere. Thus, came the revolutionary Wearable apps, from attending calls to delivering messages to recording HD video, these apps did all. Moreover, their effective app development gave a supreme uplift to the startups as people with innovative ideas (Entrepreneurs) to be the most influential people today.

Also Read: Top mobile app development trends

What’s Store in the Future

It is predicted that by the end of 2025, about 200 billion apps would get downloaded and app-to-person messaging will completely overtake text messages. Mobile Gateways will take center stage as cashless transactions would become more competent. Moreover, big data and IoT will also play a major role in the further evolution of the apps. Along with this, augmented reality will also play a significant part in the evolution of games and other apps.

Ketan Chavda

With in-depth knowledge in International Business Management and Information Technology, he can effectively craft business enhancement strategies and can skillfully untangle technical complexities. This has laid the path for him as the Co-Founder and MD of Prismetric . Writing about the new age technology and sharing his thoughts on the continuously evolving business trends keep him content.