Top tech trend

One month gone by and it’s proven to be the start of a happy year for some tech giants. The consumer seems pretty pleased too – with all the cross-platform friendliness – where the best of services are being handed on a silver platter, that is, on one platform.

Obviously, mobile app developersare celebrating: they rank as highest in demand in the technology job sector for this year, according to an infograph by employment service company Kforce. Like the previous year, smartphone apps continue to be ‘in’ this year too.

Where do mobile companies stand at this point? Apple may be unsure whether to celebrate or mourn. Selling 47.8 million phones in the previous month’s quarter is a big deal for them – it is so far, their highest sales figure target. Never mind their stock price falling down by 10 per cent. If it’s any consolation, they shouldn’t waste any time brooding but continue to focus on app development, because at the end of the day, and year, it is quality service that will bring them success, far more than brilliant phone designs and even better both combined would make the ideal scenario.

Just what brings on this confident statement is the fact that Facebook is ranked No 1 mobile app on mobile platform, as verified recently by comScore Mobile Metrix®. Competitor Google has plenty to rejoice too, with five of their mobile apps ranking right behind Facebook. These are Google Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Gmail and YouTube. From this, it is apparent it is social media users want, and it is also social media where users are spending maximum amount of mobile time, as shown on the metrics for app engagement levels.

Perhaps a comparison isn’t really necessary. Each service is highly individualized so much so that, even in their attempt, those who tried were unable to replicate the other’s app as superbly. There’s Google, struggling with social media, first with Orkut and now Google+. But their Google Maps service has possessed the entire world within one app: from outer space down to the ocean depths with Street View. And so last month, Apple humbly let them back into their iOS terrain. Then there’s Apple’s Siri, the digital wonder assistant that their contenders have failed to clone. While rumors of Facebook smartphone continue to float. But the social network has their share of worries: how to profit via their one billion+ users. The balance of good and bad has resulted in the merging of the best with the best.

On a final note, the one certainty that comes out of it all is, software supersedes hardware, proving that even in technology, as with everything else, it’s what’s inside that counts.