My Dream App

I want a developer to write my dream app. It’s in my head and I can explain many of its features. That sounds simple enough, right?
Wrong, because I don’t actually know what this app does. You see, since I’ve started using iOS-based devices and played with Android among others, I’ve installed more apps than the average user. Some have been quite sublime, others have lead me to question the point of their creation (sometimes even the point of my creation). Throughout this period I’ve had the perfect app in mind. One that brings together the perfect union of form and function with exceptional ease of use. When I need it, it’s ready and when I don’t, it’s nowhere to be found. Control of this app comes in the form of touch input and voice control, voice control that works. It has a UI that makes me smile. Navigation and input is so easy that a three year old could understand it and it was designed, from scratch, for Multi-Touch gestures. It works on my iPhone AND my iPad. It cost me 99 cents to download and it doesn’t contain ads. It completely “gets” AirPlay and Push.

This app won’t crash under pressure, it makes good use of an Edge connection when needed and it syncs beautifully, wirelessly. When out of signal it has everything I need cached. It learns and remembers my preferences and favourites. Every so often an update adds a brilliant new feature for free and there are multiple optional features that can be added through In-App Purchase if needed. EVERYTHING stays within the app, it never bounces me to Safari to sign in, subscribe or pay for anything.

Its icon is high res perfection.This app doesn’t do anything that any app I already own does. It does something drastically different that I can’t live without and also never thought I needed.

So could you make my dream app? If you can achieve all of the goals above, I don’t think I’d care what it does.

Ben Harvell is a freelance writer and former editor of iCreate magazine. He writes for a wide range of international technology magazines and websites including Macworld, MacFormat and MacUser and  just wrote his first song with GarageBand for iPad. Ben once came within touching distance of Steve Jobs at an iPhone press event but resisted the urge to do so. He’s on Twitter and would love to hear from you.