There are some things you don't see too often in the technology world. One of those things is a successful mobile app that launches on Android several months before it launches on iOS. There are many many examples of the opposite.
Another thing you don't see too often is a to do list app that you can call "sexy."
Finally, Apple has created such an empire in the mobile world that it now has to spend its time suing other companies for copying its products. Whether or not you agree with Apple's patent wars, there is no question that the mobile world looks to Apple and its iPhone for inspiration. Rarely do we see iOS apps that are inspired from other platforms, and especially not from Windows Phone.
Well, Any.DO, a mobile app that launched on iOS a few days ago broke all those rules.
It launched on Android six months ago, racked up hundreds of thousands of downloads almost instantly, and now has well over two million Android users. Only months later did it make its way to Apple's platform. Within 24 hours of its iOS launch, Any.DO reached 100k downloads.
Well, OK, those are some impressive numbers. So what is Any.DO? Some Angry Birds knockoff? A cool new reader with fancy gestures? A free navigation app? Nope. It is a to do list. You know, the kind of app you use to jot down all the things you want to do. How is it possible that a to do list achieved such popularity, you ask?
In one word, the answer is "details." The Any.DO design and user experience are like no other. If this app has taught us anything, it has taught us that despite all the buzz about viral marketing, user acquisition, and other "tricks" many developers play, users still care most about the product.
The kicker here is that while the design is truly a sight to behold, it is like no other app you will ever see in the App Store. Not the App Store, but possibly the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Yes, launching Any.DO on iPhone will give you the impression that you are navigating Microsoft's famous Metro UI. The design elements of Any.DO are very metro-looking. Again, not something we see often but actually quite refreshing.
Any.DO is well funded by a list of superstar investors including Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors and as I write this, the app just became the top trending app in the Chrome Web Store. Yes, it is also available for Chrome and it of course syncs between iOS, Android, and Chrome, giving the user the best and most seamless experience, much like the interface it provides.
Something tells me Any.DO has a lot more coming in the near future, but that is just a guess. Wink Wink.