Practical Wisdom from the Entrepreneurs Creative Edge by William Reed

Steve Jobs made digital history when he announced the iPod with the promise of “1000 tunes in your pocket.” That was brilliant and memorable marketing, and launched yet another Apple product into orbit.

Now Apps are the thing, and if you have a problem, chances are there is an App for it.

Apps on your smart phone are like a digital Swiss Army Knife that won’t quit. Apps are the gadgets of the 21st century. They are smart and specific, and even upgrade automatically. Occasionally they don’t live up to their promise, but you can be sure to find half a dozen Apps that do the job a little better, so you never really go without.

That doesn’t take away the pleasure of discovering new Apps, like munching on digital snacks, many of them free. Apps are a relatively harmless pastime, something like solitaire. Apps can be convenient, and if you select and use them wisely can actually improve the quality of your life. Some Apps are designed as creative tools, making it easier to write, research, compose music, draw, take and share photos and videos. This is the bright side of having Apps in your life.

Then there is the 80/20 Rule, that you are likely to spend 80% of your time on 20% or fewer of the Apps you downloaded. Most Apps are downloaded on impulse, and forgotten just as quickly, suggesting that you probably didn’t need them anyway. Remember life before Apps?

Then there is the downside. If you are not careful, Apps can also reside in your smart phone like tiny Trojan Horses. Apps are ready to expose your eyes and ears to unrequested information. Do you really need more unsolicited information? Watch closely, and you will see that this information often comes with a price tag on it. The information itself may be free, but follow the path and it often ends in an link to buy something.

Filtered alerts can help you find something that you want, but an automated sales force of digital army ants? It would seem that you could just ignore the App, and not engage in the search. However, newer versions of some Apps are now automating the process for you. They search while you sleep, and have the information in your App’s inbox whenever you turn it on.

One App reads digital codes from music playing in your environment, and in seconds can identify the artist, the album, the link where you can purchase the song, and also share it with your friends on social media. This could be a cool feature for the occasional song that you want to get, but cannot name. However, the newest incarnation of the App offers to automatically identify all of the music and media, even TV shows playing around you.

Who has got time to create, when there is so much out there to consume?

While it is a technical marvel that this is even possible, do we really need this extra window shopping? Particularly so when there is not just one, but many Apps knocking at your door.

Recognizes music on auto pilot, Don’t ever leave home without it. Is this good, or is this bad? The best, or worst thing you’ve ever had? This App is cool, And definitely no fool. It resides inside your phone, And never leaves you alone. You think it’s trying to tell you, When it is really out to sell you.

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