App Stores and Mobile Devices: A Siren’s Call or a Candy Store?

The news is full today of the apparent and unsurprising success of Apple’s App Store, raking in over $30 million in a month. That news is also rounded out by some other commentary that wonders just how many of those apps people are really using once they’ve downloaded them, and where the real killer apps are hiding.

Couple this news with word from the Washington Post this weekend that T-Mobile is looking to open its own App Store, and it looks like once again Steve Jobs has shifted the dynamic. Although I think we are far and away from knowing what that shift really means beyond the fact that easy, over the air access to applications are a major attraction. (Even though many still counsel that the best way to prevent crashes on an iPhone is to download or update apps from your computer and sync them over.)

I’ve limited myself to the apps I’ve downloaded and they are mostly for specific purposes, not just because they are cool. Do I use them daily? Nope. But I use them as frequently as I did the apps on my Windows Mobile device when I need to accomplish a task.

Many have felt the siren’s call and gone download crazy whenever we get a shiny new device. And many in turn, have felt that enthusiasm fade when we realize it is time to put the device to work. And then comes that inevitable day when you go looking through your start menu or applications and wonder why in the world you ever downloaded this or that app. I don’t think that is any different in this circumstance, nor will it be in the future.

If anything this feeds on a geek lust that already exists, and like all lusty appetites it will fade with time. After all, how many flashlight apps or tip calculators does one really need?