Finding apps for your iPhone or iPad can be tricky especially when you don't always know what you are looking for, and even if you find something you like, you either forget about it or can't seem to find it again.
It is a good thing that Apple is constantly finding new ways to help its customers discover and download apps for iOS devices. And now, the tech giant is partnering with Pinterest in developing a unique system for exploring iOS apps.
For those not in the know, Pinterest is a social media website that allows users to pin or post images, products, website pages, and even videos on virtual pinboards for other people to view.
This time, Pinterest is applying its pin-style approach to mobile apps for Apple devices. Recently, the social media company introduced App Pins, which basically works the same way as your regular Pinterest pinboards, but instead of featuring photos, videos, or websites, it pins mobile apps. You can now easily search and download mobile apps directly from the Pinterest app without ever needing to visit the App Store.
It may be too early to tell if the Pinterest approach is the best solution to discovering apps. But it sure does offer an alternative way in which users can explore apps for their iOS devices.
There are currently over 1.3 million apps available in the App Store. That definitely is a lot to browse through. But instead of referencing the App Store's recommended apps list all the time, users can just explore apps through Pinterest boards, which sometimes are sorted into themes or categories (like games, food-related apps, dating apps). Users can also explore their friends' Pinterest app boards and get to check out what their buddies' latest app discoveries are.
To start things off, Apple has already created a Pinterest board for its own App Store. Pinterest has put up its own app board as well, pinning the mobile apps that its staff has personally picked.
Considering Pinterest's already wide user base, this move by Apple is definitely a sensible one. Pinterest after all has more than 70 million users, and people can't seem to get enough of pinning on their own boards, or repinning from other users' boards, or just browsing through themed boards. Also, the unique visual-oriented layout of every Pinterest board is easy on the eye and allows for quick browsing. Moreover, the direct download functionality that Pinterest and Apple has incorporated in the system allows users to conveniently grab the apps they find interesting, and even share them to friends by pinning them on their own boards.
