Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Appiness

Sometimes I throw around the latest tech words assuming others know what I am talking about because I spend so much time with technology and the words are common to me. But the general population may still consider words such as “app” to be mysterious.

Way back in January 2011, the American Dialect Society named “app” the word of the year for 2010. Being named word of year signifies that a term is trendy and growing in its popularity.  But just because the use of a word is growing, we shouldn’t assume that everyone knows it. Being named word of the year implies that the word is newly prominent.

The word app is a noun, and it’s short for “application.”  Application in this case refers to a software application — in other words, an app is a software program. But an app is not just any old software program — it’s a special type of software program.

An app typically refers to software used on a smartphone or mobile device such as the Android, iPhone or iPad, as in “mobile app” or “iphone app.” But the  phrase “Web app” or “online app” is also used in a business setting as an abbreviation for “Web application” or “online application” meaning software that you access and use while online, via a browser, instead of software residing on your computer.

For small-business purposes, we don’t need to get complicated. For most of us, it’s sufficient to think of an app this way:  an app is a software program that you use online or on mobile devices.  

Why should we all care more than we do about apps?”  

Web apps or online apps can be a faster, cheaper, more efficient way of deploying software in your business.  Rather than buying a software license, having to install it on your servers or local computers, keeping up with updates you can simply go online and sign up for an account.    

Mobile apps extend the reach and productivity of your business.  Once you equip your mobile device and/or your employees’ mobile devices with apps, then you and they can perform all sorts of business functions while out of the office traveling, on sales calls, making service calls, etc.  A mobile app usually enables you to do something specific, like accessing your bank account in the case of a banking app, or run payroll with a payroll mobile app.

I’m attending the www.CollisionConf.com in New Orleans this week with my son, and they have a very cool app. It is a tech conference, so this is not a shocker. What IS somewhat of a shocker is that to attend the conference you MUST download the app to your mobile device.  It is mandatory. No appy, no happy.

The world is about to become a very appy place. You must use these apps, or you must shop (go, visit, play) somewhere else. And that is something to think about. 

I use E-Z Pass in my car, and I love it.  It saves me time and money - but it is still my choice. I could still pay cash at bridges and tunnels, but I choose to be automated.  The world of app development is becoming less about choice, and more about what is good for the supplier or the vendor.

Apps are very cool indeed, until they are no longer cool. Paper money is on its way out, but not yet. Debit cards and paying with my smartphone is cool, but I think the “cool” will go away if I am no longer allowed to decide for myself.

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the "unalienable rights" which the Declaration says has been given to all human beings by their Creator, and for which governments are created to protect.

Happiness (appy-ness) should be pursued, not forced upon us, right? So, if you "choose" to click on www.TomCapone.com you will find me on one of my most favorite apps. Or not, up to you.