We all remember the Snake game on our first mobile phones; many regard it as the first mass-market mobile app in history. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that Apple launched this business with its App Store. Nowadays, we have all sorts of apps that we can easily install on our smartphones to help us carry out any task or provide us with information. Currently, there are as many apps as there are needs: food delivery, online shopping apps, social media, health and nutrition apps, and reminders to drink water. Each person can download only those that interest them, so mobile apps provide us with tools tailored to each individual’s needs. On average, a person uses 9 mobile apps every day, amounting to a total of 30 apps per month.
Almost without realising it, our lives are changing thanks to them, making our daily tasks much easier. And it is not just the quality of these tools that is striking; the sheer numbers also highlight their importance in the world. There are currently:
- approximately 9 million mobile apps on Google Play,
- the App Store has 2.5 million, and
- Windows: 700,000
Furthermore, the number of downloads in 2017 was approximately 200,000 million mobile apps; on iOS in 2016 it was 25,000 million; and on Android in 2016 it was 90,000 million. This represents a growing demand for apps that is increasing every day. The mobile ‘app’ market generates 83,000 jobs in Colombia and is set to generate approximately 189,000 million dollars in 2020. As for mobile users, they spend an average of two hours a day using their apps.
Types of apps
A mobile app is a computer application developed to run on a smartphone, tablet or other electronic device. These can be found in digital app stores, through which users access them.
Apps can be categorised according to their cost:
- Free: these do not require any payment for use.
- Free with in-app purchases: downloading or using the basic version is free of charge for the user, but they include the option to pay for extended services.
- Paid: these are apps that incur a cost for their use or download.
Another classification is based on their characteristics in terms of format. The known types of mobile applications are native, web-based and hybrid.
Native: these are developed specifically for a particular operating system, meaning they can only be used with the software on our device. For example:
- iOS apps are developed using the Objective-C programming language
- Android apps are developed using the Java programming language
- Windows Phone apps are developed using.NET
As for mobile applications, they are almost always native apps. This is because they have a competitive advantage over the other two types: the ability to access all the features of the mobile’s hardware, such as contacts, the camera, GPS, the calendar and storage devices, amongst others. This makes the app’s integration more comprehensive, as it has access to the device’s various hardware components. Furthermore, this type of app does not require an internet connection to be used.
Web applications: these are developed using HTML, JavaScript and CSS. The main advantage over native apps is the ability to programme them independently of the operating system on which the application will be used. Web applications run within the device’s own web browser via a URL. This means they can be used on different devices regardless of their operating system, whilst the content adapts to the screen with an app-like browsing experience.
Hybrid: this is a combination of the two previous types, offering the best of both worlds. Hybrid apps are developed using the same languages as web applications – namely HTML, JavaScript and CSS – which allows them to be used across different platforms, whilst also providing access to many of the device’s hardware features. The main advantage is that, despite being developed using HTML, JavaScript or CSS, it is possible to bundle the code and distribute it via the app store.
Finally, the types of apps by theme:
Gaming apps: the most popular type of mobile app, as they currently account for over 20 per cent of all apps (Candy Crush Saga).
Business apps: also known as productivity apps, these rank second with a significant 10 per cent share of usage (Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Educational apps: this covers a vast range of apps, as an app may be educational to a certain extent yet still not fit into this category, or vice versa (Duolingo).
Lifestyle apps: the broadest category within the ‘types of apps’ as it covers a vast array of common human activities and interests, ranging from shopping, exercise and weight loss to fashion. These apps focus mainly on personal or work-related tasks, or on leisure and entertainment (Tinder).
Entertainment apps: these include apps for chatting, searching for events, watching videos online and posting photos on Instagram, amongst others (Netflix).
Utility apps: Torch
Travel apps: Uber
Financial apps: PayPal
Trends
Latin America is experiencing exponential growth in Fintech, particularly in Mexico and Brazil. Fintech refers to financial apps that allow us to ‘manage our money’, invest in the stock market or carry out transactions using Bitcoin, amongst other things.
According to an analysis carried out by AppsFlyer, mobile financial apps are key to the growth of the economy and the technology sector: “In 2019 alone, their market share for installations increased by almost 90 per cent, double the growth rate of the previous year”. “Furthermore, investment in this sector remained high at 135.7 billion dollars, according to KPMG.” This market niche fosters innovation and growth, as demonstrated by the variety of services on offer, which include mobile banking, mobile payments and transfers, digital currencies, blockchain, loans, investments, insurance and more. In fact, almost 5 per cent of apps downloaded worldwide in 2019 were financial apps. This made it the second-largest category in terms of the number of apps, and the sixth-largest in terms of total installations.
Employment outlook
This global growth in the use of mobile apps is driving demand for jobs and experts in the field. Innovation is needed to enhance user satisfaction and ensure that apps can assist us even further. Even during the pandemic, the app for tracking coronavirus cases is already helping to manage public health.
Therefore, a good option for training in this field is Alfonso X el Sabio University (UAX), which offers a comprehensive Master’s programme that will help prepare you for the jobs of the future. The Online Master’s Degree in Mobile Device Development Engineering has been created to meet the growing demand for qualified professionals in the technology sector. The aim of this programme is to produce specialists capable of adapting to a changing and dynamic environment. You will thus be equipped to develop Android and iOS applications, ensure information security, manage devices and understand the business aspects of a digital product. In addition, we offer a vocational training course in web application development, which will provide you with a specialised profile in one of the sectors with the highest demand in the market.
Author: Sebastián Jaramillo Berrocal*
* Graduate in Business Administration from the University of Los Andes and specialist in Innovation from the Externado University. Lecturer in innovation at ESPOL, adviser to the Apps.co programme run by the Ministry of Information Technology and the Centre for Digital Public Innovation of the United Nations Development Programme. Founder of ADMINET, the first payment collection platform for the unbanked. He currently manages impact-driven innovation processes and leads an organisation that promotes sexual and reproductive health through a family-centred approach, utilising artificial intelligence and other new technologies.
