Mobile is about integrated functionality, not individual apps
The iPhone app store is the best market for mobile applications we have today. I doubt that no other company is going to be nearly as successful as Apple at selling apps. I say this for two reasons: 1) even though app stores have existed for some time (e.g. Handago, Sidekick’s built in app store), Apple was the first in really pulling the developer community, easy to use interface, etc. together into one place. It of course helps tremendously that they have a super easy to use device that has become very popular. And reason 2) the idea of an app store is going to evolve over time into being less about the individual apps and more about the integration between apps and with core device functionality.
The whole idea of the user thinking about apps needs to shift into thinking about functionality. What can I do on my device rather than what app do I need to do what I want. This is particular important for social media, messaging, and location-based services. The Palm Pre provides a good example of the direction we are going: instead of thinking about what messaging tool I need to use to communicate with a friend or colleague (e.g. text message, Gtalk), I simply communicate (functionality). The messaging tool on the Pre is less than an app and more like a way to communicate. I simply choose the person and start typing – the Pre merges the different messaging services to maintain a constant thread of the conversation. So if I start a conversation as an IM and the other person leave Gtalk, the conversation will continue via SMS. It is not perfect (yet), but it highlights the integrated functionality idea. Below is a video of the Pre’s messaging app.
Google Wave is another good example of how to think less about the individual apps – email, IM, word processing – and just more about people, communication, and collaboration. Instead of going into details on how Wave works, here is a link to a great demo (long but good!):
Since a mobile device is less about being a mobile computer (old thinking) and more like a new breed of always-on, location-aware device (new thinking) that has limited screen size and input, it is going to be increasingly more and more important to take the burden off the user to think about “applications” and start to think more about “functionality”. How great would it be to have instead of a 50,000+ app catalog, to have a catalog of functionality you can add to your mobile device. For $4.99 I can add the ability to have my device locate my friends on a map or automatically upload the pictures I take to my blog and add a location stamp.
I haven’t thought through all the details like the Google Wave team has – it’s a messy problem – but my sense is that on mobile, the importance of killer apps is going to shift to killer functionality in the (near) future.
