The fact that mobile apps now generate more money than Hollywood is no doubt enticing to enterprising entrepreneurs. Yet even with a great app, the odds of it catching fire and becoming a success are extremely slim which highlights one of the industry's biggest problems: app discovery.
Take Apple's App Store for example. With more than 1.42 million apps stocking its virtual shelves and a storefront that only highlights the best of the best, the overwhelming majority of apps - 83 percent - end up getting lost in the crowd. Even if you have an idea of what you're looking for, trying to find a quality app is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
A new partnership between Apple and Pinterest, however, aspires to make it easier to discover that diamond in the rough.
The new product is called App Pins and as its name suggests, these are simply pins for apps. Using the same formula as it does for photos, fashion, recipes and more, App Pins allow people to pin, search for and download apps without having to leave the site.
Has Pinterest solved the issue of app discovery? It's certainly possible.
Several other social networks including Facebook and Twitter also facilitate app discovery but that's not what their entire business model is built on. App Pins play right into Pinterest's strengths as millions of people come to the site to find new things to see, do, try and often times, buy. Add in the fact that 75 percent of all traffic comes from mobile devices and it's easy to see how everyone - from Apple and Pinterest to app developers and consumers - can benefit.
No word yet on whether or not Pinterest plans to extend the service to other mobile platforms.