Will mobile phone apps revolutionise museums?
Rebecca Atkinson, 15.06.2010
Since it was first unveiled in 2007, the iPhone has changed the way we use mobile phones, with software applications – or apps – becoming one of the fastest growing technological innovations of recent years.
There are currently more than 225,000 apps available in the Apple iTunes store, and this number continues to grow by the day. To put it simply, apps are computer programmes that offer users a specific function. They can be downloaded onto smartphones, with Apple generally dominating the market with iPhone and the new iPad.
While museums in the UK have arguably been slow to get involved in the iPhone app revolution, things are starting to change and developers predict that more will launch apps – especially as costs come down and generic app ‘platforms’ are rolled out.
But how can apps benefit museums and does the cost of development put them out of the reach of many organisations?
In the latest online issue of Museum Practice, Simon Stephens explores the rise of mobile phone apps in the museum sector and asks whether these can really help engage new audiences.
You can also find out how to develop and market an app for your museum and read about four very different museums and their apps – including the Hunterian Museum (pictured), which developed its app in-house on a tiny budget.
Museum Practice also wants to hear your views on apps – is it worth museums investing in this sort of technology and, if so, what features do you think would benefit audiences the most?
Click here to go to Museum Practice online
There are currently more than 225,000 apps available in the Apple iTunes store, and this number continues to grow by the day. To put it simply, apps are computer programmes that offer users a specific function. They can be downloaded onto smartphones, with Apple generally dominating the market with iPhone and the new iPad.
While museums in the UK have arguably been slow to get involved in the iPhone app revolution, things are starting to change and developers predict that more will launch apps – especially as costs come down and generic app ‘platforms’ are rolled out.
But how can apps benefit museums and does the cost of development put them out of the reach of many organisations?
In the latest online issue of Museum Practice, Simon Stephens explores the rise of mobile phone apps in the museum sector and asks whether these can really help engage new audiences.
You can also find out how to develop and market an app for your museum and read about four very different museums and their apps – including the Hunterian Museum (pictured), which developed its app in-house on a tiny budget.
Museum Practice also wants to hear your views on apps – is it worth museums investing in this sort of technology and, if so, what features do you think would benefit audiences the most?
Click here to go to Museum Practice online
