Last month Apple’s new iPhone 5 was released, and they sold 5 million of them the first 3 days (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57534888-37/how-many-iphones-were-sold-last-quarter/). The internet is also a buzz with the launch of an “iPad mini” within the next month or so. Apple’s new products have been known to cause a big stir in the media and the general public for many years now, but the impressive part about Apple is not their products. To me the impressive part is not even the App Store; it’s how they have changed the way we operate during our day to day lives.
As a solution engineer for the BusinessObjects BI suite, mobile apps go along with the territory. Frankly, they are one of my favorite solutions to demo, because it really impresses people; it gives the much-sought-after WOW EFFECT. What’s incredible though is it is SIMPLICITY in this area that causes the “wow effect.”
The contradictory part of advancing technology is that its purpose is to make our devices easier to use, and more intuitive. A great example is my 3 year old nephew, Jack, who can grab my sister’s iPhone or iPad, unlock it, and scroll through the apps to find the ones he knows are the games he likes to play. The first time I saw him do this it amazed me, but then it made complete sense because the technology has gotten to a point where it really is that simple to use.
The point I want to make is that we have all heard the term “consumerization of IT,” but I think this downplays the trend. What has really happened is a FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT in how we operate on a day to day basis because of the intuitive nature and ease of use of these products. The use of mobile devices and the apps on them has changed the way I go about my daily life, whether it is checking the weather, looking for movie times, trying to find a place to eat, or even paying my bills; and I know I’m not the only one who has been impacted this way. The infographic below from www.ithinkinfotech.com gives a nice display of just how pervasive mobile devices have and will become in the future.
Mobile business apps are growing in popularity because they are following in the footsteps of the apps that have come before them, like Angry Birds. They are capitalizing on this fundamental shift in the way we use our phones. I am excited as SAP releases more and more apps that are easy to use, and frankly are very useful to helping the consumer get the information they need. And the apps are being developed by all sorts of individuals, like the middle school students who rocked the DemoJam competition at TechEd this week (http://en.sap.info/teched-kids-demojam-app/81562).
So my question to you is, how have mobile apps fundamentally changed how you go about your day to day life? Also, have you seen this fundamental shift carry over into your professional life?
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