The iPhone App Store revolutionized the cell phone industry. The app store was launched in the summer of 2008. Since then it has more than 140,000 apps and those apps have been downloaded over 3,000,000,000 times. The influence of the App Store is huge and continues to get bigger. The app store provides an outlet for developers to market additional games and utilities to consumers. Applications, or apps for short, add different features to a phone that allow it to be used in a multitude of different ways. Some apps are completely useless, while others actually serve a purpose. Some apps are free while others are paid. The concept of a marketplace adding applications to a phone is something that has only recently caught on, but as the industry grows, everyone wants in on the action. The App Store has made people realize that when they buy cell phones they want more than just a phone. They want a feature-rich device, and they want those features to be available at an affordable price or for free. The App Store encourages the American trend of always wanting to have the latest and greatest products. The App Store also shows Americans' short attention span. Before the App Store existed, what did people do? How did people get the games? Before the App Store, there had never been such a simple and ubiquitous way to get applications onto mobile phones. Cell phones had operator-branded stores that offered games but were expensive to use and offered no innovation to the average person. The trends emphasized by today's App Store date back to the end of World War I in the 1920s. World War I provided the American economy with a much-needed boost. However, after the war, something else was needed to support...... middle of paper ......tt. “The Life of an iPhone App: Ugly, Brutal, and Short.” Gizmodo.com. Gizmodo. February 20, 2010. Web. March 15, 2010. Chen, Jason. "Microsoft, in the light: the unofficial strategy for Windows Phone 7." Gizmodo.com. Gizmodo. February 18, 2010. Web. March 1, 2010. Dawson. “The Sesame Street Generation.” DawsonsPond.blogspot.com. Blogspot. February 9, 2010. Web. March 15, 2010. Girard, Laurence. “The Rise of Consumerism.” Associatedcontent.com. Associated Content. May 31, 2010. Web. March 15, 2010. Herrman, John. “The App Store Effect: Are iPhone Apps Doomed to Oblivion?” Gizmodo.com. Gizmodo. October 16, 2010. Web. March 1, 2010. McCullagh, Charles. “Beyond the App Store.” Magazine.org. America's magazine publishers. February 19, 2010. Web. March 15, 2010. Pietra, Brad. “Apple App Store Surpasses 3 Billion Downloads.” NewYorkTimes.com. The New York Times. January 5, 2010. Web. March 15 2010.