Business apps explode on smartphones

Enterprises of all sizes are beginning to see the smartphone as more than just a communications device. They are using it to generate sales, reach customers and increase productivity amongst their workforce, all from a central location – the application store. If Apple’s iPhone is a barometer for the rest of the wireless industry, mobile apps are quickly becoming a must-have for enterprises in any vertical.

As of the first quarter of 2009, there was a 50/50 split between developers making business apps versus those making consumer apps for the iPhone, according to iPhoneAppQuotes.com, a developer lead-generation company. In Q2, business apps rose 30%, overtaking consumer apps for a 70/30 split. Overall, iPhoneAppQuotes saw a 20% rise in requests for new iPhone app quotes from May to June of this year with medical, education and business apps being the most popular development requests, according to the company.

Concurrent with the growth of enterprise apps on the consumer-favorite iPhone, requests for both game and music app development saw declines of around 10%, and new weather, sports and photography app requests essentially ceased. Gregg Weiss, founder of iPhoneAppQuotes, said the growth in business apps isn’t coming at the expense of consumer apps, as it might seem, but from a realization amongst businesses that mobile apps are a lucrative market.

“Businesses are really starting to take advantage of this platform and we are only starting to scratch the service of what’s possible,” he said.

Weiss created iPhoneAppQuotes as a way to connect entrepreneurs and businesses with Apple’s 100,000 iPhone developers. Companies ranging from first-time developers and freelancers to small businesses and large enterprises use the Web site to receive three free price quotes from registered developers on building custom iPhone and iPod Touch apps. The developers then follow-up with an estimate for the company, which is free to choose who they want to work with based on their budget, time frame and requirements. The service is only open to US companies and every developer must pass a screening process and pay a flat fee for qualified leads. Weiss said that most companies or individuals find iPhoneAppQuotes after searching online for developers, an often overwhelming process.

“We also end up speaking with people in great length and never forward their request out to a developer, because they just want to be educated,” Weiss said. “We’re trying to become the number one resource to find a reputable iPhone app developer and to educate people about the process. It’s a huge opportunity both from a business perspective and entrepreneurial perspective to make money or get your brand, service or product out there.”