With the prevalence of smart phones, apps are
everywhere. Need a suggestion on your
next tattoo? “There’s an app for
that.” Need to see if your kids made it
home from school? “There’s an app for
that.” Need to predict if you will have
a good hair day…no kidding…there’s even an app for that too. There are apps for nearly everything you can
imagine.
The big question on the minds of business owners is “How can
I use an app to my advantage?” I’m often
approached about apps and this is usually how the conversation goes:
Business Owner:
“Steve, can you guys build an app for my company?”
Steve: “Absolutely we can (my answer is always
‘absolutely we can’). What do you want it to do?”
Business Owner:
“Um….I don’t know.”
Steve: “OK, what are the goals you’re trying to
accomplish with an app?”
Business Owner: “I
don’t know.”
Steve: “What are the
business challenges you’re trying to solve with an app.”
Business Owner: “I
haven’t thought of any.”
Steve: “Why do you
think you need or want an app?”
Business Owner:
“Because everyone else has one.”
Steve: “Sigh….”
While it would be easy to just build useless apps for
everyone who asks for one (and there are a lot of local companies that will do
this), we don’t believe in doing anything that won’t add value for our
clients. So, I often talk more clients
out of apps than the other way around.
Even more importantly, I don’t believe apps will be as “big a deal” in 2
years. Here is why:
Problem Number 1 - Apps
can be expensive to build – There are 2 major flavors of apps today: Apple
and Android. Each has its own OS (Operating
System) and thus apps need to be built for each platform. This means at least
twice the development cost as building an app just once.
Problem Number 2 –
Apple’s App Store is restrictive – As a developer, I have to admit that I’m
frustrated with Apple and I’m glad to see them losing their iron-death-grip on
the app development industry. Currently,
they control everything that goes into their app store and can deny an app for
any reason they choose. This does not
sit well with developers and their clients who invest in an app, only to have
it rejected by Apple. (Note: the Android
Play Store allows all apps).
Solution - New
Technology is (nearly) here- There’s a new “Sheriff in town” and his name
is HTML5. This is a new version of the
web-page language which is designed to include all of the things that apps do
well: animations, video, user interface enhancements, gaming, connectivity, 3d
graphics etc. HTML5 will allow
developers to build an application once (solving problem number 1) and post it
to the web (solving problem number 2).
This could cut development costs and circumvent the Apple dictatorship
known as the ‘app store’. HTML5 will simply
run in a web browser on your phone rather than requiring you to launch a
specific app.
In the end, as with all things in business, it will all come
down to the “bottom line”. The economic
advantages of HTML5 will drive its usage as a development choice.
If you have questions or need some direction on apps, web
development, search or social strategy, send an email to:
steve@encorewebworks.com.
