An “App Store” is a digital platform where users can browse and download various software applications, often referred to as ‘apps’. Originating from the concept of commercial bulletin board services in the early 1980s, App Stores have significantly evolved over the years. This progression includes the introduction of the first software distribution catalog, the Electronic AppWrapper, and various Linux[3] distributions with app repositories and package managers. The late 1990s marked the emergence of mobile app[1] stores like BeDepot, Palmix, and i-mode. This evolution continued into the 21st century with the establishment of smartphone[2] app stores and culminated in Apple’s introduction of the App Store in 2008. Today, App Stores are a vital part of the digital ecosystem, providing a platform for developers to distribute their apps and users to discover and download them. They also act as a feedback channel between developers and users, with user reviews helping to improve app quality.
Un app store, also called an app marketplace ou app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the computer itself. Complex software designed for use on a personal computer, for example, may have a related app designed for use on a mobile device. Today apps are normally designed to run on a specific système d'exploitation—such as the contemporary iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux ou Android—but in the past mobile carriers had their own portals for apps and related media content.