Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has suggested that bots are hot and apps are not.
He told the company鈥檚 F8 developer conference in San Francisco that bots were a better method of communicating with services than specialised apps or phone calls.
And Facebook has now redesigned its Messenger app homescreen with an eye on integrating businesses and services at a later date.
So are mobile applications dead?
With app downloads expected to hit a whopping 224 billion this year there鈥檚 certainly life in the old dog yet – but things are changing.
Statistically users spend the bulk of their mobile time on just five apps, so it鈥檚 a competitive marketplace.
Matthew Hunt is the CEO of Apadmi Enterprise – part of Manchester-based app developer Apadmi – and believes that not everyone needs an app.
鈥淵ou should be looking up what you want to do, what you need in terms of functionality, and the things you think either customers or employees could get or do on mobile,鈥� he says.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the starting point.聽 Once you鈥檝e established that you come to companies like us to understand how to achieve it 鈥� it might be an app or some other piece of tech.
鈥淎pps aren鈥檛 right for some companies and I would advise them to spend their budget elsewhere, but for others apps are perfect; you can see real added benefit for efficiency, return on investment, and a real USP for that company against competition.
鈥淚n those scenarios apps are absolutely the way forward, it just depends what you鈥檙e trying to do.鈥�
Graham Whistance, MD of Warrington software company firm My Mobile Workers, which helps companies manage their field workers using a mobile app, agrees that apps may not be the answer for every business.
However, he says that with a rising mobile workforce, native apps 鈥� apps that work without an internet connection 鈥� are still a necessity.
鈥淭here are better ways to do most things than with a mobile app but the reality of the world is that there are certain times when you don鈥檛 have that option,鈥� he says.
As the current landscape stands, claims Whistance, apps are crucial for anyone who needs to access business information the move, such as email.
鈥淚 for one can鈥檛 do my job if I haven鈥檛 got access to that type of information,鈥� he concludes.
Healthcare Group鈥檚 app-based healthcare service Dr Now offers users access to a GP 鈥渓iterally at their fingertips鈥� from anywhere in the world.
Through the app customers can speak to a GP and order a prescription as part of the same integrated service.
鈥淭he benefit of the app is that via your smartphone you can see the doctor live,鈥� says founder and CEO Lee Dentith.
鈥淭he patient gets the reassurance of speaking to a real doctor and doctors like to see people – they love what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Laundrapp 鈥� an app-based laundry and dry cleaning service 鈥� also brings an on-demand service to customers, by collecting and delivering users鈥� washing to their door.
鈥淵ou can use it anywhere 鈥� for example, if you鈥檙e travelling and staying in a hotel 鈥� which is why smartphone seems to be a good basis for this type of outsource service,鈥� says founder and CEO Ed Relf.
Using apps on TV screens is another area that Relf sees taking off, allowing for the typically isolating mobile app experience to become one that embraces the entire family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a family discussion as opposed to passing around a six inch screen,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne example is the Airbnb app for Apple TV – now the whole family can sit there and collaborate rather than having someone sat behind their laptop screen.
鈥淲e even used a karaoke app the other night on the TV that connects to the lights so they flash like a disco.
鈥淒o I think that people are going to sit around and talk about laundry on TV? Hell no!
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be right for everything but it鈥檚 just an opportunity to put engagement and conversation back into these digital households.鈥�
A look at the international market also offers ideas for where the future might lie, says Relf.
WeChat 鈥� a Chinese messenger service similar to WhatsApp 鈥� has already integrated an 鈥渁pp ecosystem鈥� as part of its service, he says.
鈥淯sers can order things like pizza or Uber using a tool similar to WhatsApp or Skype 鈥� it鈥檚 like the e-butler services. That鈥檚 going to happen, no question.鈥�
Jamie Wilson is the CEO of app developer Appitized and says the key with apps are making them relevant.
鈥淚f an app has a purpose and buy-in from people, if it鈥檚 something they need for everyday lives and the user gets regular updates and push notifications, then I can鈥檛 see apps falling off a cliff any time soon,鈥� he says.
鈥淭he point everyone needs to bear in mind is that typically a person picks up their phone at 7.30am and it鈥檚 the last thing they look at before they go to bed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always within arms鈥� reach and most people refer to it about 150 times a day. It鈥檚 a major convenience factor now that most people are so comfortable using mobile devices.鈥�