By now, I’m sure many readers have heard the expression “there’s an app for that”. Heck, it’s probably true, with over 2.5 million apps being registered on the App Store and Google Play dating back to 2014, there is surely an app to meet your needs. The real question on everyone’s mind is how far can this go?
True, there may indeed be an app for everything that crosses our worried minds, but should there be? With hundreds of thousands of new apps created each year, it is becoming more and more difficult for brands to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Some developers have grown content with simply becoming copycats and merely settling for the ideas of someone else to pass off as their own with minimal changes.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still a few who strive to create greatness and tap into their own respective niche, but the number that do so is dwindling fast. The copycat approach can only get you so far before you find the end of the road. Though it be risky, blazing your own trail will ultimately be the way to reach new heights. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Who would have thought that a quote from Jerry Seinfeld (yes, you read that correctly) would be so true, “sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason”. (CNN, 2015)
References:
(2015, January 3). Retrieved from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/30/tech/social-media/weirdest-apps-2014/index.html
Jawing With Jordan 
An episode of “The Big Bang Theory” showed Sheldon visiting Penny at the Cheesecake Factory. He was depressed and wanted to order an adult beverage. However, Sheldon did not know what kind to order and pulled out his phone. The line was there is an app for alcoholics. I did not believe him so I had to go to the App store to find out for myself. There is an app that lists alcoholic drinks. I had to put my birth-date in to guarantee that I was over 21 years old. How can iTunes or Google play prevent under 21 year old to download the app? If the person is at college, who will tell them not to download the app.
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Jordan,
Over the years I have always wondered why certain brands and companies dove into the app industry, seemingly for the sake of having one. In particular, restaurant apps such as that of Papa Johns, seem less valuable to consumers. Yes, special deals can be found within them, but outside of that, what value do these kinds of apps provide to consumers? What can be found or used within the app that can’t be used on their website? Is the value from the app worth having an app all together for restaurants?
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I have had so many customers come to me in the last several years asking if we do app development. As I begin to ask the marketing and developer questions 9 times out of 10 they really have no idea what they truly want it to accomplish but feel that they just “need” to have an app. This is not a recipe for success without knowing what success will be and when we have achieved it.
Furthermore, I am finding now that I have upgraded to the iPhone 7 that several apps I have used in the past are now coming up with a warning from Apple saying that the app may slow down my iPhone… “The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility.”
An app is a commitment and requires care and feeding from its owner.
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Jordan,
You are so right. I met a guy who came to my job to pitch to us his promotional items and he slid that he was an app developer. He said he takes ideas from people and help turn those into apps. I think it’s crazy the thousands of apps that are out there, and for the most part a few of them do the same thing. I wonder how people find the right market to promote their app through with so much other competition. How do they know it will be successful?
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