This year, our favorite iPhone apps got serious about reinventing themselves – and disrupting the mobile game in the process.
In this week’s episode of The iPhone Show, let’s take a look back at the defining apps of 2016. And how the trends they brought about will continue to reshape the mobile landscape in the year to come. Watch the video above to get the lowdown on all the most disruptive downloads.
We’d be remiss not to start with Pokémon Go, one of the most popular apps ever. Even though the game may have fizzled a little bit since it’s launch, mobile augmented reality is here to stay. It’s not just for gaming, either. After the success of Pokémon Go, we’re bound to see more iPhone apps implementing AR experiences for travel, shopping, and real estate purposes.
It was also a banner year for Instagram. Even though the photo-sharing app is six years olds, it gained over 100 million new users in 2016. Instagram’s surge in popularity was largely in part due to its incorporation of Snapchat-style video Stories. But Instagram is not the only social app to have borrow a few features from competitors this year. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Periscope – they are all out conquer the realm of live video-sharing. Will one app rise to the top in 2017?
As social apps became more alike, streaming apps couldn’t fight hard enough to standout. Apple Music became synonymous with exclusives this year, following the strategy of other streaming media companies like Netflix and Amazon Video. But as these apps continue to gun for exclusive content, it means that we’re going to have to keep paying for different subscriptions or have to choose between Frank Ocean and Drake (Apple Music) or Rihanna and Beyoncé (Tidal). Will 2017 finally bring about content mini-bundles?
Previously on The iPhone Show: Perfect gifts every iPhone lover must have
Author: Oscar Raymundo, Staff Writer
Oscar writes about iOS, mobile culture and digital music. He also hosts 'The iPhone Show' from Macworld's San Francisco HQ.