The Time for Apps is Right Now

I can’t help but notice the explosion of apps on mobile devices, namely, the iPad (affiliate link). If you bother to take a close look, you’ll be blown away by the level of engagement.

We’re not just talking about reading text with pictures, or even watching videos, or tweeting, or Facebook liking— but combining all these activities into ethereal experiences supported by intelligent content and handsome design.

Take, for example, the Glee app. Glee is a hugely popular drama tv show that blends teenage hormones with raw vocal talent. I turned over the app to my daughter, and within 5 minutes she had recorded herself singing one of the episode’s covers (Poker Face, complete with harmonies and instrumental), which was then uploaded and broadcasted worldwide to other Glee app users.

Before too long she had gotten a few “gleeks” (Glee speak for votes) on her impromptu performance, which in turn boosted her confidence (she’s a talented and aspiring vocalist). Not soon after she was eager to purchase the next $1.00 sing-along in the queue.

How could this possibly go wrong?

The experience was unreal — a huge leap from the typically linear act of top to bottom, left to right reading we’re so accustomed to. It took me awhile to conceptualize what the developers had to do to deliver such an pioneering experience.

If you can find anything of marketable interest and turn it into an app, you’ve got a future in publishing. The key, however, requires brute force creativity: how will your content come to life and how will you get people hooked on it? How quickly can you do this? How will you make money?

And while we’re on the subject of content — an app’s core product — it’s safe to say that it has to be mobile and social to succeed. Gone are the days of inert content.

So count me in. I’m hooked on apps. I seem to have missed the blogging gold rush, so it’s time to move on to something with an undoubtedly promising future.

How about you?