What’s new in the app industry this week? 

The impending arrival of the Christmas break hasn’t seemed to slow down the pace of development in the app industry. In fact, several notable launches and updates have taken place in the last few weeks.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that we always stress the importance of keeping up with industry events after taking up our Business-In-A-Box mobile app development agency business opportunity because it’s so useful to know what rivals are up to, where technology is headed and which new app launches are making waves.

We have plenty of that this week so read on to get firmly in the loop…

Craigslist gets its first ever app

Despite being a quarter of a century old next year, Craigslist has only just launched its first ever app. Released yesterday, the app for the classifieds site will be familiar ground for those who have used the website as it is designed to replicate the desktop site almost identically.

The app doesn’t require registration either so anyone can download, read ads an contact sellers even without a Craigslist account. It has already launched on the App Store for iOS users and is available in beta for Android devices.

Reaction from users has been mixed with some reviewers saying the app feels basic and despite the long wait for the launch, misses out on lots of tech which could elevate the experience. Other users praise the app for the very same thing, noting that it’s no frills style matches the experience regular Craigslist users have come to expect.

Self-drive car firm launches first app

There’s something especially thrilling about tech and apps coming together – case in point, the launch of the self-driving car service, Waymo’s first app. Rolled out in Phoenix this week, the app comes a year after the firm debuted its so called ‘robotaxi’ service in the Arizona city.

Part of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Waymo One is a taxi service staffed by a self-driving cars. The app means users can now hail one of the automated vehicles directly from their device. The launch of the app is also being taken as a sign that the service could be expanded from its current city to include other locations in North America. The new app is for iOS users, with Waymo having published an Android app on Google Play back in April.