Mobile Software Developers

The first mobile apps appeared on what we now call smartphones as early as 1996, when the Nokia 9000 Communicator was released. It had e-mail, fax, Web browsing, word processing, and spreadsheet capabilities and, eventually included video games such as Snake. In 2002, Handspring released the Treo line of handheld computing/telecommunications devices. Users could download or sync third-party applications for use with the device, but it took another six years for mobile apps as we know them today to emerge.

Apple launched the original iPhone on January 9, 2007. It did not initially focus on app development for this mobile device, rather stressing the telecommunication aspects of the iPhone. Demand grew for mobile apps for the iPhone, and in October of that year, Apple announced that it would release a software development kit for mobile app developers who were interested in creating apps for iPhones. The Apple App store opened on July 10, 2008, and apps sold briskly.

Today, mobile apps are extremely popular. There were approximately 2.9 million apps available at the Google Play Store in December 2019, up from the 1 million apps available in July 2013, according to Statista.com. The numbers of apps available in the Apple Store grew from 800 in July 2008 to 1.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The continuing popularity of mobile devices and demand for new apps has created many career opportunities for mobile software developers.