The secrets of app-iness
Rather against my normal instincts, I have found myself using my phone more and more for daily tasks; it’s very seductive. My name is Matthew and I am becoming addicted to using my phone – but not for making phone calls.
It’s only smartphones that have this siren quality – the ones with screens. So, if you have an older one, you are safe. However, if you do have a smartphone, becoming hooked is very easy.
My downward spiral started when I began using my phone to pay for small things in shops. You load the appropriate application (‘app’) onto your phone and then link it to your payment cards.
You then use your phone like a contactless card. At the till, you wake up your phone and wave it at the payment terminal; some electronic magic takes place and the money is transferred. Once you get the idea, it is faster than using a card or paying by cash, and your phone retains a nice list of the payments you have made.
At present, most retailers apply a £30 limit, but I expect that to change. Tesco has already developed its own app, which allows payments up to £250.
So that’s how it all started, for me; then I added Ringgo, which allows me to pay for car parking before I get out of the car, and a weather app which gives me weather forecasts for anywhere in the world.
I also have apps that allow me to check my bank account, find the latest cricket scores worldwide, buy railway tickets and see why the train is delayed. I even have an app that converts my phone into a baby alarm for when our grandson comes to stay.
I have a podcast player, so that I can listen to good stuff while walking the dog or driving the car. I have the app for the accounting system I use, on which I can record purchases and pictures of receipts, and an app from my stockbroker which allows me to see my assets dwindling in front of my eyes. I even have an app that lets me see how the electricity the country is using at the time is being generated. I have apps for my email and diary; I have a maps app, an app for recording my mileage, and an app for listening to music.
I even, for December only, have an advent calendar app.
In September this year, there were almost 3.5 million apps available to download for the Android system and about 2.5 million on Apple’s list (many apps appear on both lists, of course).
Why do people bother to produce apps? Most app creators are hoping to make money; while many apps are free, there is often the option to pay a small amount (usually only a pound or two) for a better version or to remove the advertising. The most profitable ones charge a subscription or receive commission for purchases made using the app. There is certainly money to be made; in 2016, over 16 per cent of Android app developers generated over $5,000 per month in revenue.
In my view, however, we may be close to peak app; most are unused or no good, and need culling. I’m sure that only the highly practical and useful will survive (banking, accessing information, music, travel), as well as, perhaps, short-life apps for specific events (Proms, art exhibitions). I am also sure that there will be growth in ‘aggregator’ apps, which gather publicly available data from multiple sources and present them in a clear and coherent way.
The evolution of the app has a long way to go. I just hope that my advent calendar survives.
sciencemuseum.org.uk The Science Museum website has undergone a revamp, and the results are excellent. It shows you the latest exhibits and what else is on; there is a great deal of video and animation. Very well worth exploring.
santatracker.google.com This is Google’s Father Christmas tracker. On Christmas Eve, it will be revealing the technology that powers his sleigh around the world – at last the secret is out. Before then, you can explore his village and play games.
I will happily try to solve your basic computer and internet problems. Go to www.askwebster.co.uk or email me at webster@theoldie.co.uk