Earlier this month, the total number of apps available in mobile marketplaces topped one million. Consumers now are able to easily find the nearest artisan cheese shop, play word games with friends halfway around the world, learn Mandarin Chinese, and check the score of the big game all from the comfort of their own handheld mobile device.
Just under four years after the first app store was introduced, we’ve seen a huge change in the way people interact with the world around them. The creativity of the software developers who make these apps seems unlimited. You want to find out where to buy that book on your friend’s coffee table? A “buy local” advocate turned software developer made that app. Your 8-year-old child is struggling with spelling? A teacher-turned-software developer made that app. You need to make a PDF of a signed document but lack a scanner? A former enterprise software developer made that app.
By 2015, the app marketplace is projected to top $50 billion. With more than 80% of apps created by micro-businesses (under 10 employees), in rural and urban locations across the country, this is a job generating industry. A bright light in a flagging economy, the industry will continue to add jobs as the demand for mobile applications shows no sign of abating..