App Store

Apple's Real Motivation Behind Creating the iPad

Submitted by James Mowery on Sat, 04/17/2010 - 08:50

What was Apple's reasoning behind the creation of the iPad? Well, many have assumed that it was Apple's way of creating a device to fill the gap between the Macbook and the iPhone. But I got news for those people: they are wrong. I don't believe this was Apple's intention at all. I think there is something else to this — something big.

I am convinced that the iPad is a preview of the future that Apple envisions — a future where Apple has total control of the distribution of hardware, software, and everything in between on a full-blown computer platform.

In other words: I believe that Apple intends on moving all of their devices and hardware to an iPhone-like operating system that would unify all of Apple's products and empower the iTunes platform more than ever before, while also significantly reducing the control that any particular user has over his or her computer.

With the iPad, we are lead to think of as a tablet computer — when, in reality, it is an iPod Touch on steroids — but Apple seems to believe that this device could, with time, replace laptop computers for in-home usage. The iPad, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, is locked into the iTunes ecosystem. So we essentially have a locked-down computer that Apple has total control over. Well, the future has come early!

Think about it — what happens if Apple, in time, creates an operating system that is similar to the iPhone OS that runs on computers? Perhaps Apple could create a netbook-like device in the future that runs a custom version of the iPhone OS. This device would also be locked into the iTunes ecosystem as well, having users install traditional computer applications directly from iTunes.

Is it really that far fetched of an idea?

It makes sense (and it makes even more business sense). When you think about it, iTunes has really driven Apple to success. It is the platform that has started it all. There is also so much power and content within this platform that it can't be stopped. So, again, is it really difficult to imagine that Apple would envision having all of its hardware wired into this rich ecosystem of software and content? To have total control?

For yours truly, it would not be that difficult to imagine.

That said, it would be an incredible deviation from conventional operating systems. It would mean that Apple would have the total package with total control. Users would be buying into that ecosystem while being locked into it as well.

This would be the perfect scenario for a company like Apple.

The only question left is whether or not users would be willing to buy into this type of computing platform? (Actually, in retrospect, that is an absurd question.)

We'll Be Downloading 5 Billion Mobile Apps in 2014

Submitted by James Mowery on Sun, 03/28/2010 - 15:09

App Store Icon

To all who thought the iPhone was the greatest achievement in the '00s, I think you are somewhat wrong. Instead, I believe it is Apple's App Store that deserves a majority of the credit. The App Store is the platform that really enabled the iPhone to shine, and, without it, the world might be very different.

ABI Research is predicting that 5 billion smart phone applications will be downloaded worldwide by 2014. To compare, there were 2.3 billion mobile applications in 2009. This means that in 4-years time, mobile application downloads will be double what they are today.

That's a pretty big leap.

With that, you would have to assume that smart phone sales would possibly double as well.

If data and voice pricing for mobile phone providers grew more affordable in the near future, I could see this number growing even faster.

But let's get back to Apple's App Store, the platform that really kicked this into high gear.

The App Store is the platform that allows developers to create applications for the iPhone (iPod Touch and iPad too). Without it, the iPhone would be nothing more than a pretty looking phone. With it, however, the iPhone becomes the device that opens the door to a rich, social, interactive, and engaging experience — it opens the door for users to do things on their phones that were once thought meaningless or impossible.

Granted, the App Store is also a centralized place for application management and distribution, and that can sometimes cause problems. Specifically, it creates a gatekeeper, and if you don't play by the rules, you could get kicked out of this ecosystem. Some applications and developers have been mistreated, and that isn't fair.

This is why other ecosystems are being created. Google now has its own marketplace — Google Apps Marketplace — that enables developers to freely create, manage, distribute, and charge for their applications, without the interference from a gatekeeper.

But what about Windows Mobile and BlackBerry? Weren't they the ones that kicked off the mobile application craze? Well, there is no doubt that other companies did this before Apple. There were already mobile application marketplaces and devices that utilized applications. However, they were not nearly as successful as Apple's App Store.

So, Apple and the App Store, in particular, has to receive the credit for propelling these technologies forward.

Apple has not only pushed mobile technology forward, but it pushed our interests in mobile technology forward as well. As a result, hardware manufacturers, software developers, mobile technologies, and consumers are all benefiting from their efforts. And, depending on how Apple's iPad fares, that 5 billion number could be a gross underestimate.