The Apple iPhone has caused a tremendous amount of hype and publicity since its release a couple of years ago. Many mobile records previously held by longstanding perennials were thrashed within months. It has given the mobile industry a very hefty injection of enthusiasm and expectation.

Whether you’re excited about the sensational growth of mobile technology or slightly worried about the sheer pace at which it is happening, one thing we should be in agreement with is that we should largely thank the iPhone for it. While mobile applications have been available and developed for ages, it was Apple that turned it back into a desirable and vastly lucrative market.

In the process Apple resuscitated a market that was previously dominated, albeit rather boringly, by Microsoft and Nokia. The one thing that’s on every mobile enthusiast’s lips these days is applications.

On April 23, 2009, the billionth application was downloaded from the Apple App Store. A 13-year-old, Connor Mulcahey, subsequently won a MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a $ 10,000 iTunes gift card, as promised by Apple as the contest reward.

Many people have prophesized how the digital world will soon be revolving around the axis that is the mobile phone. This is not new(s). I don’t think it’s debatable anymore either. There are many examples, case studies and projections made to support this theory.

One such projection published on the 28th of April 2009 estimates that “the mobile application market will be worth $25 billion in five years.”

But exactly why are mobile applications playing a larger role in businesses today?

1. The iPhone is leading the way in mobile internet browsing. With the astonishing publicity the iPhone enjoys, the application market has become a lucrative career for mobile app developers.
2. Media outlets are salivating at discovering the latest value adding application. A well developed application will virtually guarantee a developer instant fame with the publicity.
3. Other mobile phone manufacturers and developing houses simply had to catch up to claim a stake of the market share. Blackberry has launched their mobile app store early in April 2009, Microsoft is launching their own application store very soon and quick to follow is the Palm Pre app store.
4. It’s becoming critical to have a mobile version of your website, but it’s still cool to have a mobile app, so striking while the iron is hot guarantees loyal fans.
5. The people that carry these super phones have the power, and more importantly the technology, to influence thousands of people. If they catch on to your app, your business will enjoy droves of media publicity.

If you want to score big in the media and with your target audience, mobile applications in 2009 is the way to go.