CNBC ORIGINAL GOES INSIDE THE BILLION-DOLLAR APPS BUSINESS
One-Hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner to Premiere on CNBC on Thursday, January 7th at 10PM ET/PT
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., December 22, 2009—They’re quick, helpful and maybe even a little addictive. There are more than 100,000 apps available today and they do just about everything from helping you catch a cab to balancing your budget. CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, looks at how this cultural phenomenon has truly changed the way we live.
On Thursday, January 7th at 10PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!,” a CNBC original reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner that goes inside the apps gold rush. CNBC introduces viewers to some of the creators who are designing applications and striking it rich and explains just how the big business of apps really works.
The one-hour program looks at how the launch of the Apple iPhone in June of 2007 gave birth to a revolution in mobile technology—an apps explosion. As the popularity of apps continues to soar and users view them as an essential tool for everyday life, Apple has opened the door for outside developers to create new apps and a new breed of entrepreneurs allowing anyone from an engineer to a Hollywood star to an everyday person to become an app developer.
CNBC also profiles two new app entrepreneurs from Chicago, Darren Marshall and Phil Tadros, who want to get in on the phenomenon with a budget management tool called Texthog. The app would allow users to immediately record their expenses by texting them to their Text Hog account. The documentary follows Marshall and Tadros as they develop, design and program the app and ultimately submit it to Apple for approval, a process, which can be both stressful and time consuming.
While the apps business is a huge success, CNBC takes a look at just how difficult it is to turn a quick profit on an app. Now, with more than 100,000 apps available, developers need to market their apps and companies like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and even CNBC are looking to apps as a tool to complement their print and broadcast media.
CNBC takes you inside Medl Mobile, a Southern California company whose mission is to work with anyone and everyone who has an idea to get an edge in the app world and whose goal is to launch 1000 apps over the next two years.
And, with the number of Smartphone users exploding, CNBC takes a look at Apples’ competitors who are working hard to unlock the secret to the world of apps. At this point, the biggest threat appears to be Verizon/Google whose biggest selling point is their less restrictive approval process. Although it is too early to tell if any of the competitors can knock Apple off the throne, it has already opened up a whole new marketplace for app developers who want to make a business out of their ideas.
For more information including video clips and slideshows log onto planetoftheapps.cnbc.com.
“Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!” is produced by Kurtis Productions. Sharon Barrett is the Executive Producer and Jennifer Bernardi is the Producer for Kurtis Productions. Charles Schaeffer is the Executive Producer for CNBC. Ray Borelli is the Vice President of Strategic Research, Scheduling and Long Form Programming.
“Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!” will re-air on Sunday, January 10th at 11PM ET.
About CNBC:
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