Whether you want to take a selfie for the ’Gram, tweet your thoughts, or keep your favorite music at your fingertips, celebrate the marvelous world of apps on National App Day on December 11.
Not only do apps make life easier, but they have also created a huge number of employment opportunities for developers, social media warriors, and of course, influencers.
It seems wild now to think that there was a life without apps, and the fact that they haven’t even been around for too long is even more unbelievable considering their prominence in today’s society. Although computers are equipped with apps, people primarily use them on mobile devices and tablets. Today, even basic phone functions like sending a text message or making a call are done through apps. Now, many apps allow people to earn from home too just with a simple lift of their fingertips.
In the 1980s, Psion — a London-based company, launched the Psion Organiser, widely considered to be the first-established PDA device. The functions of the Organiser weren’t much, but it did come with features like a calculator, text editor, agenda, and contacts. This set a precedent for future mobile-app developments.
It was the visionary Steve Jobs who first came up with the idea of an ‘App Store’ back in 1983. He envisioned a database where software could be purchased over calls. Along with the advent of the revolutionary iPod by Apple, the iTunes store was launched, paving the way for Apple’s future App Store. In 2007, the first iPhone was introduced to the world, and a year later, the App Store was introduced.
There were only about 500 apps when the App Store was launched originally, meaning it is difficult to identify the official first app ever to be released. Nevertheless, as more and more smartphones were unveiled, various app clients were also launched. These include Google Play for Android, BlackBerry’s App World, and Amazon’s Appstore.
With app downloads reaching more than 175 billion in the year 2017, C.J. Thompson, founder of the mobile marketing agency Platinum Edge Media, created National App Day. The day is celebrated on December 11 and promotes the collective culture of apps and innovation.
