The Apps that shape up our E-World

Kamal Baruah *

"This would be a little like a record store, where software would be downloaded over phone lines" – Steve Jobs.

The pioneer of PC revolution predicted the captioned lines six months away launching Macintosh that Shortly after IBM introduced PC (Personal Computer) in 1981, Steven Paul Jobs co-founded revolutionary technologies Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in 1984. Yes that incredible innovation continued at iMac, iTunes, iPod and App Store later on.

The decline of PC led Apple scrambled competitors by introducing Macbook Air in 2008. Rest is history with iPhone, and iPad. Today our lives move around mobile applications. Customers are very aware of happening around the world from banking to online shopping, digital payments, social collaboration and healthcare.

I fondly believed when Mr Sarat Neog, a retired Judge is enthusiastically following our banks' products. Consumers around the world are busy enjoying various free web services like browsing, social networking, e-commerce, e-payment, ridesharing, music, movie, news etc.

When convenience and security are issues for customers, App based software will shape up today's world. However the journey of mobile applications started in 1994 with Smartphone IBM'S Simon that got inbuilt apps like Address Book, Calculator, Calendar, Mail, Note Pad and Sketch Pad.

But they weren't called as Apps but largely referred as Features programmed by manufacturers and customization such as arcade games (Snake game), Ringtone Editors and to-do lists with Nokia. In 2002, it was the era of Blackberry's QWERTY keypad by integrating wireless email.

The first iPhone in 2007 brought drastic change in mobile industry by iOS with preloaded apps lie Maps, Photos, Text and Weather. Apple's Apps Store went live in July 2008 with iPhone 3G. Its Safari became quite a rage. The visionary Steve Jobs went unlocking the software by developing App Store that letting users truly make their mobile devices their own resulting explosion of millions of Apps.

In 2012 Google launched Google Play on Android platform namely Google Music, Goole Books and Google Video. Facebook brought Instagram by making Videos and Photos over Text Messaging. Amazon and Microsoft soon launched their own App Stores. That App tsunami spawned new economic opportunities.

Today Apps are everywhere as it has connected with our homes. Opportunities for software developers blossomed as 100 billion apps are downloaded in the market till today. Billions of dollars flowed from Uber to Snapchat to Spotify to game makers like Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga and Temple Run2, Polemon Go, Cut the Rope and so on.

Now the Shape of cardless era has begun. With App based platform, banking industry has already started with cardless ATM. The country's biggest lender SBI has recently introduced YONO Cash. Now customer can securely withdraw cash without ATM card or even arrange for someone else to collect the money where phone takes on that task.

India's #1 Smartphone Wallet and Payment App Paytm brought million users that ranks India second highest in Asia Pacific region in digital payment adoption. Also from Amazon Pay, Google Pay, YONO, BHIM Axis Pay, the financial institution believe consumers will embrace cardless access to make the world a better place.

Today our lives move around Apps in personal as well as professional life that made everything from meditation to book a dinner just over sweeping screen over Smartphone. The most successful entrepreneurs Steve Jobs probably predicted well to future events. For all the possibilities apps have allowed, there's also a dark side.

Many apps are engineered specifically to capture our attention, often to our detriment and the most time-consuming apps. Facebook and Google also admitted uncertainty over security lapses linked to users' data privacy. Apps became a part of all our gadgets, be it tablets or PC and Apps industry witnessed billions of downloads since they are mostly offered for free download.

Apps started making people millionaires. Apps finally came out of pockets and reached our wrists too (Wearable devices). And, what comes next? With 5G network trials underway and hardware market saturated, software and services of Apps industries are expected to generate 200 billion to global revenue.

The world is looking for Virtual Assistant like Apple's Siri, Chatbots, Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa in the form of AI (Machine Learning), Streaming TV Service and IoT (Internet of Things – connecting electronic devices over the internet, letting them talk to us) application.

As I read Digital Doctor, it could bring hope, hype and harm at the dawn. Instant Apps are indeed the trend because they are smaller in size, user friendly and highly convenient. Beacons Technology will make virtual guides and personalized information smoother. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have finally infiltrated app market.

Interestingly, Election Commission of India has for the first time started using an App to help Poll Observers. Also various political parties are using Apps as core effective campaign. Now apps for almost everything we do and it can even sense, feel, and touch.

Innovators build Apps for humanity to help us to change the way we bank now. The innovation of Smartphone and its Application is a fascinating story from IBM to Apple, Google and Microsoft. ARPANET 1969 – the primitive Internet made it possible of today's World Wide Web and Apps finally taken over the world and will continue to do for ages to come. It is too early to predict a result. Whatever next! But Inventor Steve Jobs envisaged the possibility 35 years ago.