Killer application

software app so valuable that it makes the entire platform it runs on desirable

A killer application is software that is very necessary or wanted which makes people want to buy its computer hardware, video game console, software platform, or operating system. People will buy the platform just to access that software, which can increase sales of the platform a lot.[1][2]

Examples

change
 
VisiCalc was released in 1979, becoming the earliest agreed-on example of a killer application.

One of the first agreed-on examples of a killer application is the VisiCalc spreadsheet which was released in 1979 for the Apple II.[3][4] The term killer application would be used in the late 1980s.[5][6] Another example of a Killer Application is the Microsoft Office series of software, making them 54 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.[7]

References

change
  1. Scannell, Ed (February 20, 1989). "OS/2: Waiting for the Killer Applications". InfoWorld. Vol. 11, no. 8. Menlo Park, CA: InfoWorld Publications. pp. 41–45. ISSN 0199-6649.
  2. Kask, Alex (September 18, 1989). "Revolutionary Products Are Not in the Industry's Near Future". InfoWorld. Vol. 11, no. 38. Menlo Park, CA: InfoWorld Publications. p. 68. ISSN 0199-6649.
  3. Levy, Steven (January 1985). The Life and Times of PC Junior. Popular Computing. p. 92.
  4. Power, D. J. (2004-08-30). "A Brief History of Spreadsheets". DSSResources. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  5. Dvorak, John (1989-07-01). "Looking to OS/2 for the next killer app is barking up the wrong tree. Here's where they really come from". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  6. "killer app". dictionary.com. Retrieved 2023-03-26. Origin of killer app 1985-1990
  7. "Microsoft external revenue by product/service 2024". Statista. Retrieved 2024-09-06.