Term of the Moment
instruction cycle
Definition: app
(1) (APPlication) The file extension for executable Mac applications. Apple has a very unique way of hiding the complexity of executable programs for the Mac (see APP file).
(2) (APPlication) The term has been shorthand for "application" in the IT community for a long time. However, it became popular with the consumer for mobile applications after Apple debuted software applications for the iPhone in 2008. Application and app are synonymous, and it is just as correct to say "iPhone application" as it is "desktop computer app." Computer people love to abbreviate terms whenever possible in addition to using acronyms incessantly (for the mother of all acronyms, see TLA). See application and online app store.
(3) (APPlication) In the engineering world, an app can refer to a circuit design, using the word "application" in the context of purpose. For example, "high-voltage apps" means high-voltage circuit designs. The term predates mobile software by decades.
Apps Are Everywhere
We Do Mean "Everywhere"
(2) (APPlication) The term has been shorthand for "application" in the IT community for a long time. However, it became popular with the consumer for mobile applications after Apple debuted software applications for the iPhone in 2008. Application and app are synonymous, and it is just as correct to say "iPhone application" as it is "desktop computer app." Computer people love to abbreviate terms whenever possible in addition to using acronyms incessantly (for the mother of all acronyms, see TLA). See application and online app store.
(3) (APPlication) In the engineering world, an app can refer to a circuit design, using the word "application" in the context of purpose. For example, "high-voltage apps" means high-voltage circuit designs. The term predates mobile software by decades.
After installing a new smart TV, as in this Samsung 4K TV example in 2016, users have the option of downloading apps from Netflix, Amazon and other content providers.
For decades the word "apps" has been shorthand for "appetizers" and still is.