This is hardly a new thought, but: apps are dead, aren't they? Some of my best friends are software developers and I'm happy to pay for quality software, I just can't think of the last time that I downloaded an app that made a material improvement on my life.
Don't get me wrong. Ubiquitous email and texting have fundamentally changed communication. I'd be lost without my calendar in my pocket. Everyone should use a password manager. And internet everywhere is the cause of and solution to all of our problems. But outside of a few games, it's been years since I downloaded an app that's held my attention. I went from "an app for everything" to, slowly down to about 2 dozen apps, to:
Safari
Messages
Mail
Videos
Calendar
Spotify
Amazon Music
Amazon Video
Netflix (so much more useful now that you can download shows on the go)
Tweetbot
Facebook and Messenger
Dark Sky ("hyperlocal weather" -- it's surprisingly accurate with its "expect rain in 20 minutes, stopping in 45") alerts.
PlayStation Vue (to watch the Sox outside on the iPad)
A remote for my in-home speakers
A remote for a recently-acquired GoPro camera
Kindle
A podcast client
A password manager.
Like Dollar mentioned, something to track trips/expenses (when on business trips).
Untapped (see the Beer Douches thread).
Anyway, those games I mentioned:
- FTL: A "roguelike" (randomly generated levels). Essentially a "battles as Bridge Captain of the Enterprise" simulator. Direct crew and ship power to maintain critical systems. It's addictive and difficult. I've played over 400 games. I'd get more done if I deleted it, but I can't. Touch controls are perfect.
- Hitman Go. Looks like a wooden board game. Plays like a Rube Goldberg machine. Move through each level turn by turn, but for every move you make the board reacts. Find the right sequence of moves to get out alive. (There's a Lara Croft-themed one as well. Same concept).
- Papers, Please: Dark and dystopian. You play a customs agent examining people's passports. Look for forgeries and discrepencies. It has all the appeal of doing real clerical work... but it's oddly engrossing, and the controls work.
- Really Bad Chess: It's a chess game that starts you out with the board stacked in your favor, and increases in difficulty as you get better.
So many mobile games just don't work. I'm an avid gamer, but trying to cram virtual thumbsticks or complex controls into a 5-10" screen just never clicked for me.
Are others out there still using lots of apps?