iPhone applications - a growing trend

Blackboard, maker of campus learning management system software, is the latest company to announce that they have released an iPhone application. According to the press release, the new application provides a mobile version of the same tools used on their website in an effort to support learners on the go. Blackboard is just one of many companies to release an iPhone application this month. In fact, according to a recent article from San Jose Mercury News, there are currently about 200 new apps added each day to the Apple App Store and the store is growing at a rate of 38% a month. Additionally, the store already offers over 31,000 applications since its debut less than 9 months ago. At this rate, we can expect to see many more reading, campus related, learning, and social networking applications introduced in the coming months. These applications can be developed quickly and offer powerful new ways to connect users in ways that we have not seen before. What effect could these applications have on the way students learn and communicate, and in turn the college store? This is definitely a trend to watch, particularly with rumors of a new Apple device due out perhaps this summer or fall.