If you observe iPhone owners in real life when they meet, the first thing you’ll notice is that they will talk about their apps. Apps have become a matter of conversation and even a kind of social glue.

When mobile phones first appeared, they were the glue. The device was the matter of conversation: the size, the weight, the colors..

This was particularly observed with teens that considered (and still do) the mobile phone as a social symbol. As phones became more sophisticated the glue morphed from the hardware to what’s inside: the phone was not a phone anymore, it was also a camera and a music player. As such other elements became the new “meme” among users > What you have inside your phone. Your wallpaper, your photos, your ringtones and your music. 

In some way mobile contents, when personal, became the ultimate social memes. Show me what you have, i’ll tell you who you are [see this]. An industry was built around that (Jamba/Jamster, Gameloft,…)

But as phones are becoming small computers, wallpapers, photos and ringtones are not as hot as once. Because now there is a new way to personalize your phone more than ever before. The mobile apps. 

Users can now find what they exactly need for their daily usage. There is an app for anything. The iPhone is leading the way but it will be true for all mobile platforms. Each single iPhone users has a unique set of mobile apps defining his usage, and in some way is personality.

Sharing your apps, is as important as sharing musical playlists. It’s a way of unique self-expression. Even more than that because apps are not related to only 1 field (music)

This is why we created AppsFire, because this trend is only the beginning and your peers will become over time one of the most important discovery (not the only one) drivers for mobile apps.