There can be little doubt that consumer choice in the app industry is increasing sharply. While absolute figures are few and far between, the number of titles available for Apple’s App Store and Android Market are in six figures, Ovi Store has passed the 30,000 mark, and there are nearly 20,000 titles available for BlackBerry App World. Independent store GetJar offers more than 75,000 products, and there is any number of operator portals offering products.

But several stories from the last couple of weeks indicate that quantity clearly does not equate to quality. For example, a UK survey found that three of the most downloaded “generic” barcode scanning apps only achieved a 9 percent hit-rate for accurate results. And even the big names are not immune from problems: it was reported that Yahoo was responsible for a WP7 app which sent large amounts of data surreptitiously, eating into customers’ inclusive allowances.

While the mobile app industry has grown sharply during the last couple of years, this has largely been driven by early adopters who may be prepared to put up with some teething troubles. A blog post last week even suggested that it is “better to get error reports from the public if you can’t test for yourself.” For the industry to continue growing, apps really need to become a mass-market proposition, delivering a polished user experience without the rough-edges that are currently in evidence – without the expectation that customers will be happy as beta testers.

Due to the complexities of the industry, there are obviously a number of factors at play. For example, many apps require access to third-party information via open APIs – such as is the case for the barcode scanning apps, or any number of public transport-related apps. Indeed, I was at an event late last year where a speaker criticised a third-party, London Underground-related app for its accuracy, when this is actually a factor beyond the control of the developer. But to the user, the effect is the same: the app is inaccurate, and therefore its value is impaired.

The same is true in the case of the Yahoo/WP7 app. A product from the supposedly trusted brands was created – undoubtedly without any intention of malice – in an inefficient way, causing data use beyond what a user would reasonably expect.  With operators moving away from unmetered packages in favour of tariffs where prices are more closely aligned with use, the concept of “bill shock” again rears its ugly head – only on this occasion, without the user being to blame.

And there has also been an ongoing rumbling about apps and privacy, which could become a storm should there be a significant privacy breach that is attributable to apps in the near future – and creating doubt in the mind of potential buyers if picked up by mass-market media.  

Last year, Ilja Laurs, founder and CEO of GetJar, spoke to Mobile Apps Briefing about the “Apps Cocktail” needed to drive success in the mass market (adoption of data plans, ease of purchase and installation, handset compatibility, and so-on). It is arguable that an improvement in the quality of the apps available could contribute to this significantly, in providing a high-quality user experience for customers.

While it is far from perfect, Apple has undoubtedly done the best to create a polished app-buyer experience, aided in no small part by its end-to-end control of the ecosystem. Its app approval policy does at least ensure that products do what they are intended to, and its integration with iTunes provides a seamless purchase experience for users. Perhaps it is time for others to focus more on the quality of the products offered than the absolute numbers, in order to deliver an application experience that is ready for primetime.

Steve Costello

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members