eBay asks: Can Americans live without the App Store?
From restaurant recommendations and fashion advice to boredom-busting games, we've grown accustomed to having unlimited apps at our fingertips. As Apple celebrates the fifth anniversary of the App Store, eBay decided to see just how much apps influence the typical American day.
The online shopping company challenged 200 people to live app-free for four days. The temptation to share photos, log in to Facebook, check the weather or consult a navigation app proved too strong for more than a third of the participants. One went so far as to say it was on par with trying to drop a smoking habit.
"I felt so lost for those four days of disconnect, that once using them again I was truly at peace," one participant said. Another said he felt "naked and unprotected."
In the absence of apps, participants reported more anxiety and frustration. With their apps back in hand, 55 percent reported feeling happier, while 40 percent said they were more productive, especially with consuming news, budgeting money, planning social events, shopping, even working out and -- in a true sign of the times -- dating.
There was nothing scientific about the poll, but it leaves no doubt that in its first five years, the App Store has managed to solidify its place in our daily routines.
