Apple App-Aholics Anonymous (Apple Application Suite)

App Name: Apple Application Suite
Developer: Apple

Throughout the chaos of our daily lives, we often rely on our smartphones to maintain our sanity, even when we know we can’t do it on our own. Often times, the things we rely on the most on a common basis are often forgotten and/or taken for granted, even when they’ve become such a necessary component of our existence.

Many Apple users (myself included), depend on the AppStore to deliver the latest and greatest innovations available on the mobile market. While these breakthroughs often come from outside developers, we seldomly give credit to one of the most successful, powerful, and reliable developers on the AppStore. Introducing a developer who needs no introduction at all: pioneered by the late Steve Jobs, we present the one and only Apple.

In this week’s rendition of Apple App-aholics Anonymous,
we pay homage to last week’s WWDC event by taking a look at the heart of your iOS devices and what makes them so fantastically incredible.

For Starters: Your new iPhone/iPad/iTouch comes straight out of the box with a slew of native applications that will be as essential to you as the thumb you use to navigate the screen. These include but are not limited to:

•Calculator: vertical screen gives you basic number-crunching capability while the horizontal screen expands this app into a higher-technology mathematical computing system.

•Clock: time, stopwatch, and alarms!

•Maps: never get lost! Accurate, effective, and current on any network.

•YouTube: you already know what to do with this…

•Calendar: never miss an appointment or event

•Reminders: an extension of your to-do list; stay on task

•Weather: simple and a tad underwhelming, this works best in the Notification bar to keep you up to date on the latest temperature

•App Store: search, discover, buy!

•Stocks: whether the economy’s tanking or staying afloat, you can be in the know.

•Notes: got an idea no one wants to hear? Jot it down!

•Safari: Apple’s premiere web browser, complete with bookmarks and dependable functionality. It sure beats Explorer!

•Contacts: keep all your peeps in one happy spot on here and the Cloud

•SMS: brb w/ u l8r

•Emails: keep track of ALL of your many accounts in one, aesthetically-pleasing interface.

•Camera/Photos: snap photos and edit them in the same interface

•Settings: don’t like the way your phone’s operating? Tweak and make adjustments here!

•Phone: yeah, it makes calls, too!

Open your pocketbook, because you’re going to want these. If you didn’t know, there so happens to be an entire selection of purchasable apps that Apple offers in the AppStore. While they do not (yet) come preloaded on your iDevices, they are still crammed full with tons of features and capabilities your thumbs will love to ticker met with:

iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) [$29.97 TOTAL]: Think Microsoft Office refined to work with the touch of your fingers. Smooth, accurate, and up-to-date with iCloud integration makes creating, opening, and modifying MS documents incredibly easy.

iBooks [FREE]: Purchase the latest NYT best sellers, upload your own ePub files, and download PDF files in an aesthetically-pleasing, book-like interface.

Apple Store [FREE]: Keep up to date and browse for the latest Apple equipment.

Find My iPhone [FREE]: Ease your spazzing mind when your beloved device has gone astray (and yes, this works on devices other than phones, as well).

Remote [FREE]: Just as you would assume, control your Apple TV, iTunes, and stream your music library through the convenience of your iDevice

Garage Band [$4.99]: The portable music studio and composing hub for any aspiring music artist/lover.

iMovie [$4.99]: The closest you will get to having Adobe Premiere Pro for your iDevice. Make family films or production movies ready for the YouTube scene.

iTunes U [FREE]: Jumping into the education market! Download general education materials that will keep you sharp over the summer break and prepare you for the new year.

iPhoto [$4.99]: Apple rendition of an ultimate and all-purpose photo-enhancer and editor.

Find My Friends [FREE]: Lost them? Relocate them with your iPhones’ built-in GPS!

iTunes Movie Trailers [FREE]: A bit random, but Apple can even help you stay up to date on the latest blockbusters that are about to hit the big screen.

Cards [FREE]: Create, purchase, and send customizable cards for all of those special occasions

Airport Utility [FREE]: Manage your multiple wi-fi networks and AirPort base stations.

MobileMe iDisk [FREE]: With a MobileMe subscription, you can store, view, and share all of your media documents.

MobileMe Gallary [FREE]: MobileMe users can their camera roll public and flip through friends’ shared photos.

iAd Gallary [FREE]: For those of us who enjoy commercials, view the coolest advertisements by the most reputable brands in the retail market.

Looking Ahead:
This list of Apple-crafted apps only continues to expand over time. For instance, Apple’s future feature, iOS 6, will introduce Passbook, a type of digital wallet to store coupons, movie tickets, etc, as well as a refined Maps application that is now powered by GPS tycoon, TomTom, instead of Apple’s mobile competitor, Google.

Advantages of Buying Apple: It’s simple: if Apple provides/makes it for your device, it has iCloud integration. Also, if you’re lucky enough to have Siri on your device, she has (or soon will be) integrated to work with your app(s) in some way, such as to make Reminders, write Notes, etc. Finally, each year Apple will contribute at least one sufficient update to each of the above apps as well as periodic updates to their operating system.

The Negatives and yes, there actually are some. While the free applications Apple offers are intuitively simple, their range of purchasable applications are so refined that they will consequentially take up a hefty amount of memory space to download and store. Considering how nice these apps operate, though, this is hardly a substantial drawback.

Bottom Line: Apple supplies an incredible family of dependable devices, so it’s no wonder their apps work so well alongside said devices. Expect nothing but smooth quality from the premiere developer of today’s technological advancements.

To Reiterate: You’re going to want these apps. 😉

Happy Downloading!

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