Demand for smart phone applications is outstripping software for computers

By Suzy Parker, USA TODAY

Why didn’t someone think of this sooner? Computer applications for an iPhone cost from 99 cents to $900. The $900 is abnormally high since most are under $10. If you buy one and don’t like it, you throw it away.

The smart phone application market is estimated at $3 billion annually. To put it in perspective, Microsoft the world’s largest software company had annual revenues of $58 billion last year.

There is an iPhone application for everything. You can write posts for a blog, take pictures and post them (without cropping), take a video and post to YouTube, update Twitter and Facebook, tune your guitar, watch NASA videos and check email. You can read this blog on an iPhone or other smart phone.

We can check stock prices, play music videos, check the bank, see whats happening in town and download mandolin chords while cruising along the Rive Sud in Quebec.

There are more than 100,000 applications for smart phones with thousands more on the way. Some are fun, some are nothing but propaganda for companies and some are very useful. Most teenagers have hundreds on their phones.

It’s the world of the niche application and it’s getting bigger by the day. It will grow even bigger as tablet computers like the iPad begin to take hold with consumers.

People like the bite-size programs. They also like the instant-on feature of smart phones and the fact you can take them everywhere. I’m not sure if tablets will have the same popularity since they are large and essentially take two hands to operate.

One thing is for sure, we are becoming more and more addicted to smart phones. After more than 20 years of cellphones, the iPhone is my first. It’s not as powerful as a desktop but it’s mighty handy.  The only downside is the $70 a month levy the phone companies place on using a smart phone. The iPhone and other smart phones will continue to become more popular. People like them and unabashedly recommend them to others.

Related stories

Apple iPad is self-employment machine

Free Gibson app for iPhone

NJN on your iPhone

Google’s Nexus One an iPhone beater?

Story from USA Today.