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{{Redirect|Killer app|the video game|Tron 2.0: Killer App}}
{{Original research}}
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{{Short description|Marketing term}}
A '''killer application''' (often shortened to '''killer app''') is any software that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as its host ], ], ], or ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Killer app|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20app|website=Merrian-Webmaster|publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref> Consumers would buy the host platform just to access that application, possibly substantially increasing sales of its host platform.<ref name = "Killer Application Feb 1989">{{Cite magazine | last = Scannell| first = Ed| title = OS/2: Waiting for the Killer Applications |magazine= InfoWorld | volume = 11 | issue = 8 | pages =41–45 | publisher = InfoWorld Publications | location = Menlo Park, CA | date = February 20, 1989 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JzoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT40 | issn = 0199-6649}}</ref><ref name = "Killer App 1989">{{Cite magazine | last = Kask | first = Alex | title = Revolutionary Products Are Not in the Industry's Near Future |magazine= InfoWorld | volume = 11 | issue = 38 | page =68 | publisher = InfoWorld Publications | location = Menlo Park, CA | date = September 18, 1989 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uTAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT83 | issn = 0199-6649}}</ref>


==Examples==
A '''killer application''' (commonly shortened to '''killer app''') is a ] that is so useful or desirable that it proves the value of some underlying technology, such as a ], ], ], or piece of ]. A killer app substantially increases sales of the hardware that supports it.
] was released in 1979, becoming the earliest generally agreed-upon example of a killer application.]]
Although the term was coined in the late 1980s<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dvorak |first=John |author-link=John C. Dvorak |date=1989-07-01 |title=Looking to OS/2 for the next killer app is barking up the wrong tree. Here's where they really come from. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbsaONN5y1IC&pg=PP75 |magazine=] |publisher=] |access-date=2023-03-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/killer-app |title=killer app |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=dictionary.com |access-date=2023-03-26 |quote=Origin of killer app 1985-1990}}</ref> one of the first ] recognized examples of a killer application is the ] ], released in 1979 for the ].{{r|levy198501}}<ref>D.J. Power, '''', DSSResources.COM, v3.6, August 30, 2004</ref> Because it was not released for other computers for 12 months, people spent {{US$|100|1979|round=-2}} for the software first, then $2,000 to $10,000 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|2000|1979|r=-3|fmt=c}} to ${{Inflation|US|10000|1979|r=-3|fmt=c}}) on the requisite Apple II.<ref name="mcmullen19840221">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCIvSU6Y2GAC&pg=PA126 | title=Apple Charts The Course For IBM |magazine=PC Magazine | date=February 21, 1984 | access-date=October 24, 2013 | author=McMullen, Barbara E. and John F. |page=126}}</ref> '']'' wrote in 1980, "VisiCalc is the first program available on a microcomputer that has been responsible for sales of entire systems",<ref name="ramsdell198011">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-11/1980_11_BYTE_05-11_High-Resolution_Graphics#page/n247/mode/2up | title=The Power of VisiCalc |magazine=BYTE | date=November 1980 | access-date=October 18, 2013 | author=Ramsdell, Robert E | pages=190–192}}</ref> and '']''{{'}}s VisiCalc review is subtitled "reason enough for owning a computer".<ref name="green198008">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/stream/creativecomputing-1980-08/Creative_Computing_v06_n08_1980_Aug#page/n29/mode/2up | title=VisiCalc: Reason Enough For Owning A Computer |magazine=Creative Computing | date=August 1980 | access-date=October 18, 2013 | author=Green, Doug |page=26}}</ref> Others also chose to develop software, such as ], for the Apple II first because of its higher sales, helping Apple defeat rivals ] and ].{{r|mcmullen19840221}}


The co-creator of ], ], argued that the honor of the first killer app should go to that popular ], given that it came out a year before VisiCalc and that it gave a reason for people to buy a computer.<ref name="bergin2006" /> However, whereas WordStar could be considered an incremental improvement (albeit a large one) over smart typewriters like the ],<ref>{{cite book |last=Baron |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Baron |date=2012 |title=A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-m9nDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 |publisher=] |page=94 |isbn=9780199914005}}</ref> VisiCalc, with its ability to instantly recalculate rows and columns, introduced an entirely new paradigm and capability.<ref>{{cite book |last=Campbell-Kelly |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Campbell-Kelly |date=2003-10-02 |title=The History of Mathematical Tables: From Sumer to Spreadsheets |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihRREAAAQBAJ&pg=PA328 |location=Oxford |publisher=] |page=328 |isbn=9780191545214}}</ref>
==Human Language Technology==


Although released four years after VisiCalc, ] also benefited sales of the ].{{r|levy198501}} Noting that computer purchasers did not want ] as much as compatibility with certain PC software, '']'' suggested "let's tell it like it is. Let's not say 'PC compatible', or even '] compatible'. Instead, let's say '1-2-3 compatible'."{{r|mcmullen19840221}}<ref name="clapp19840227">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gy4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22 | title=PC compatibility |magazine=InfoWorld | date=February 27, 1984 | access-date=January 18, 2015 | author=Clapp, Doug |page=22}}</ref>
] (HLT) or ] was invented in 1978 at the ] (ERI) and powered-up the top killer applications known to mankind, computers used for human language processing/communications. The creation of the ] Multilingual Word Processor, later to become the SDL Enterprise Translation Server (www.freetranslation.com ), lead to ] word-processing software and ] networking software and the Human Language Parser built for the government to be used in the creation of the ] and associated communications software.


The ] became a killer application{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} for the ] and ] minicomputers during roughly 1975–1985. Many of the PDP-11 and VAX-11 processors never ran DEC's operating systems (RSTS or VAX/VMS), but instead, they ran UNIX, which was first licensed in 1975. To get a virtual-memory UNIX (]), requires a VAX-11 computer. Many universities wanted a general-purpose timesharing system that would meet the needs of students and researchers. Early versions of UNIX included free ]s for ], ], and ], at a time when offering even one free compiler was unprecedented. From its inception, UNIX drives high-quality ] equipment and later ] printers using the ]/] typesetting language, and this was also unprecedented. UNIX is the first operating system offered in source-license form (a university license cost only $10,000, less than a PDP-11), allowing it to run on an unlimited number of machines, and allowing the machines to interface to any type of hardware because the UNIX I/O system is extensible.{{Original research inline|date=March 2023}}
Around the time of the release of the ] pre-1981 computers were generally considered to be devices for government, industry and hobbyists. But the one program that gave just about everyone in the consumer market an excuse for purchasing an ] or clone computer was the ability to use a computer as a (human language) communications tool. At first it was the ability to type, check, edit, save and print words, but later it was networked computers for e-mail and the ].


==Usage==
]
{{blockquote|One mark of a good computer is the appearance of a piece of software specifically written for that machine that does something that, for a while at least, can only be done on that machine.|], 1985<ref name=levy198501>{{Cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Steven |date=January 1985 |title=The Life and Times of PC junior |url=https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-1985-01/page/n94/mode/2up/search/smell |magazine=Popular Computing |page=92 |access-date=2020-03-12}}</ref>}}
The advent of the ] word-processing software, based on HLT, is generally recognized as the killer application that brought computers into the consumer market. In the 1980s and 1990s ] was recognized as the world-wide market leader in word-processing software. In the early 1990s Microsoft Word began to offer its version of word-processing software based on a copy of ] obtained through ].
The earliest recorded use of the term in print is in the May 24, 1988 issue of '']'': "Everybody has only one killer application. The secretary has a word processor. The manager has a spreadsheet."<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine=] | title=PC Week | date=May 24, 1988 | volume=39 | issue=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/103376|title=killer, n.|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>


The definition of "killer app" came up during the deposition of ] in the '']'' ] case. He had written an email in which he described ] as a killer app. In the questioning, he said that the term meant "a popular application," and did not connote an application that would fuel sales of a larger product or one that would supplant its competition, as the Microsoft Computer Dictionary defined it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeLBQCpCi9c&t=592|title=Bill Gates - Deposition Part 1 of 12|date=September 18, 2012|via=YouTube}}</ref>
Novell’s communications technology made available to the public the technology that was being programmed for the ]. This killer application was also part of the ] project being programmed at ERI.


Introducing the ] in 2007, ] said that "the killer app is making calls".<ref name="Newton NYTimes">{{cite news |last1=Newton |first1=Cal |title=Steve Jobs Never Wanted Us to Use Our iPhones Like This |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/sunday/steve-jobs-never-wanted-us-to-use-our-iphones-like-this.html |website=New York Times |date=January 25, 2019 |access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref> Reviewing the iPhone's first decade, David Pierce for '']'' wrote that although Jobs prioritized a good experience making calls in the phone's development, other features of the phone soon became more important, such as its data connectivity and ability to install ] (which was added later).<ref name="Pierce iPhone">{{cite magazine |last1=Pierce |first1=David |title=Even Steve Jobs Didn't Predict the iPhone Decade |url=https://www.wired.com/2017/01/apple-iphone-10th-anniversary/ |magazine=] |access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref>
<blockquote>
ERI spawned many high-tech spin-offs, including ], ], and Dynix in computers and some in the military and communication areas that have all benefited the world. (The Life of Frank Carlyle Harmon, written by Cleo Harmon, wife of the Director and Administrative Secretary at Eyring Research Institute, published 1999)
</blockquote>


The ] (through the ]s ] and ]) is the killer app that popularized the ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/08/business/business-technology-a-free-and-simple-computer-link.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm|title=BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY; A Free and Simple Computer Link|first=John | last=Markoff|date=December 8, 1993|work=]}}</ref> as is the ] program ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2002/05/the-day-the-napster-died/|title=The Day the Napster Died|author=Brad King|date=May 15, 2002|publisher=Wired}}</ref>
==Spreadsheets==


===Applications and operating systems===
], the earliest generally agreed example of a killer application.]]
* 1979: ]: ] (first spreadsheet program and killer app)<ref name="vaughannichols201305" />
* 1979: ], ] systems: ]<ref name="bergin2006" /> 1982: ported to ] and ]/]
* 1983: ]/]: ] (spreadsheet)<ref name="vaughannichols201305" />
* 1985: ]: ] (first desktop publishing program)<ref name="robinson199203">{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=Phillip |date=March 2, 1992 |title=Next's Giant Step |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1992/03/02/nexts-giant-step/f32f275a-740a-49da-ad51-e2401995ba01/ |access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref>
* 1985: ]: ], ], ]
* 1993: ]: ]<ref>
{{cite news
| first = Derek
| last = Bourgeois
| title = Score yourself an orchestra
| date = November 1, 2001
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2001/nov/01/onlinesupplement3
| work = The Guardian
| access-date = May 10, 2011
| quote = Many composers bought an Archimedes simply to have access to the program.
}}</ref>


===Video games===
One of the first examples of a killer application is generally agreed to be the ] ] on the ] platform (e.g. <ref>D.J. Power, '''', DSSResources.COM, v3.6, 08 August 2004</ref>). The machine was purchased in the thousands by finance workers (in particular, ]) on the strength of this one program. The next example is another spreadsheet, ]. Sales of ]'s ] had been slow until 1-2-3 was made public; the IBM became the best-selling computer only a few months after ]'s initial release.
The term applies to ]s that persuade consumers to buy a particular ] or accessory, by virtue of platform exclusivity. Such a game is also called a "system seller".


* '']'', originally released for ] in 1978, became a killer app when it was ported to the ] console in 1980, quadrupling sales of the three-year-old console.<ref name="RG-41">{{Cite magazine|date=September 2007| title= The Definitive Space Invaders|magazine= ]| publisher= ]|issue= 41| pages= 24–33 | url= http://www.nowgamer.com/features/152/the-definitive-space-invaders-part-1 | access-date=April 20, 2011}}</ref>
A killer app can provide an important ] for a non-mainstream platform. ] ] and ] ] gave the ] and ] niche to the ] in the late ], a niche it retains to this day despite the fact that ]s running ] have been capable of running versions of the same applications since the early ].
* '']'', released in 1980, was the first killer app computer game.<ref name=fulton20080821>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827205200/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3766/atari_the_golden_years__a_.php?page=13|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3766/atari_the_golden_years__a_.php?page=13|title=Atari: The Golden Years -- A History, 1978-1981|last=Fulton|first=Steve|date=August 21, 2008|work=Gamasutra|archive-date=August 27, 2008|access-date=July 11, 2023}}</ref> '']'' named it the single most important reason for sales of ].<ref name="williams198105">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-05/1981_05_BYTE_06-05_Software_Piracy#page/n107/mode/2up | title=Star Raiders |magazine=BYTE | date=May 1981 | access-date=October 18, 2013 | author=Williams, Gregg |page=106}}</ref><ref name="feigel198209">{{Cite magazine |last=Feigel |first=Curtis P. |date=September 1982 |title=Videosyncrasies |url=https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-09/page/n384/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=BYTE |pages=386-390}}</ref> Another was '']'', released in 1981.<ref name="greenlaw19811112">{{cite magazine | title=Eastern Front | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November–December 1981 | access-date=October 31, 2013 | author=Greenlaw, Stanley | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1981&pub=2&id=1 | pages=29–30 | type=review}}</ref>
* '']'', released for the ]
* '']'', released in 1986 for the ] as the first game from Cinemaware, has graphics which "have set new standards for computer game".{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
* In 1996, '']'' wrote that '']'' (1981) "sent '']'' fans scrambling to buy ]s".<ref name="cgw150">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 | title=150 Best Games of All Time | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1996 | access-date=March 25, 2016 | pages=64–80}}</ref>
* The ] home port of '']'' is considered the console's first killer app, which caused system sales to jump by nearly 2 million units.<ref>{{Cite magazine |author = 遠藤昭宏 |title = ユーゲーが贈るファミコン名作ソフト100選 アクション部門 |date = June 2003 |publisher = キルタイムコミュニケーション |magazine = ユーゲー |issue = 7 |pages = 6–12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kurokawa |first1=Fumio |title=ビデオゲームの語り部たち 第4部：石村繁一氏が語るナムコの歴史と創業者・中村雅哉氏の魅力 |url=https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20180313040/ |website=] |access-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801205701/https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20180313040/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |date=March 17, 2018}}</ref>
* ''Computer Gaming World'' stated that '']'' on the ], '']'' on the ], and '']'' for the NEC ] were killer apps for their consoles.<ref name="adams199011">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=76 |title=Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is) |magazine=] |date=November 1990 |access-date=November 16, 2013 |author=Adams, Roe R. III |page=83}}</ref>
* The '']'', '']'', and '']'' series were killer apps for Nintendo's Famicom and ] consoles in Japan.<ref name="Computing-Japan" />
* '']''{{'}}s popularity in 1990 helped the Genesis gain market share against the Super NES in North America.<ref name="thefranchise">{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=100805/madden&redirected=true |title=The Franchise |publisher=ESPN |date=August 5, 2010 |access-date=January 23, 2015 |author=Hruby, Patrick}}</ref><ref name="IGN_History">{{cite web |last=Fahs |first=Travis |title=IGN Presents the History of Madden |website=IGN |date=August 6, 2008 |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/896/896893p1.html |access-date=March 30, 2009}}</ref>
** '']'', released in 1991, was hailed as a killer app as it revived sales of the three-year-old Genesis.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Creation of Sonic The Hedgehog|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-creation-of-sonic-the-hedgehog/|last=Gates|first=James|website=Culture Trip|date=May 4, 2018|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref>
** '']'' helped pushed the sales of the Genesis due to being uncensored unlike the Nintendo version.<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78QA-H54H2o| title = Icons - Mortal Kombat - Part 2 | via=]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
** '']'' became a system seller for the Mega Drive/Genesis in the UK.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47896612|title = Sonic, Street Fighter and the 'golden age' of gaming magazines|work = BBC News|date = September 4, 2019}}</ref>
* '']'', originally released for arcades in 1991, became a system-seller for the Super NES when it was ported to the platform in 1992.<ref name="egm_influential_sf2">{{cite magazine|last=Patterson|first=Eric L.|title=EGM Feature: The 5 Most Influential Japanese Games Day Four: Street Fighter II|url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|magazine=]|access-date=April 17, 2012|date=November 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064721/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|archive-date=March 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** '']'' for the SNES helped Nintendo's comeback against Sega.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587 | title=Sega v Nintendo: Sonic, Mario and the 1990's console war | work=BBC News | date=May 12, 2014 }}</ref>
* '']'' and '']'', both released in 1993, drove adoption of ] drives for ]s.<ref name="ign retro">{{cite web|date=August 1, 2000|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082913p1.html|title=PC Retroview: Myst|website=IGN|access-date=April 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120054557/http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082913p1.html|archive-date=January 20, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'']'', '']'', and ] are the killer apps for the Sega Saturn.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hickman |first=Sam |title=Virtua Sell Out!|magazine=]|issue=3 (January 1996)|publisher=]|date=December 15, 1995|page=7|url=https://archive.org/details/Official_Sega_Saturn_Magazine_003/page/n6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sega.com/news/releases/prices.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220011108/http://www.sega.com/news/releases/prices.html | archive-date=December 20, 1996 | title=SEGA Central }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/19/sakura-wars-strikes-the-dreamcast|title=Sakura Wars Strikes the Dreamcast|author=IGN Staff|date=October 19, 1999|website=IGN}}</ref>
**] and '']'' are major system-sellers for the ] in the United Kingdom, with the latter becoming the fastest selling CD game.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tonight We're Going to Party like it's 1996!|magazine=]|issue=16 |publisher=]|date=February 1997|page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sega go to the Top of the Charts!|magazine=]|issue=5 |publisher=]|date=March 1996|page=6}}</ref>
**'']'' and '']'' boosted the Sega Saturn's sales in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sega.com/buzz/press_releases/june97/pricedrop.html |title=Sega Online: Buzz (Press Releases) |website=www.sega.com |access-date=January 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970630063324/http://www.sega.com/buzz/press_releases/june97/pricedrop.html |archive-date=June 30, 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'']'',<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Stuart|last1=Levy|first2=Ed|last2=Semrad |title=Rage Racer |magazine=]|issue=90|publisher=]|date=January 1997|page=112}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/080/080401p1.html | title=Top 25 Games of All Time: Complete List |website=IGN |date=January 23, 2002 |access-date=January 6, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504134205/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/080/080401p1.html |archive-date=May 4, 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> '']'',<ref name="auto" /> '']'',<ref name="SatMag5">{{cite news|last=Hickman |first=Sam |title=The Thrill of the Chase!|work=]|issue=5|publisher=] |date=March 1996|pages=36|quote=And if there was one game that sold Playstation on launch, it was WipEout}}</ref><ref name="eurogamer1">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-20-years-of-playstation-the-making-of-wipeout |title=20 years of PlayStation: the making of WipEout |last=Leadbetter |first=Richard |date=December 4, 2014 |work=] |publisher=Gamer Network |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> '']'',<ref name="GS-History">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tombraider_hist/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306100124/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tombraider_hist/index.html |archive-date=March 6, 2009 |title=GameSpot's History of Tomb Raider |website=] |author1=Blache, Fabian |author2=Fielder, Lauren |date=October 31, 2000 |access-date=June 1, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and '']''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp34mk/crash-bandicoots-jeans-look-super-realistic-in-remastered-trilogy|title=Crash Bandicoot's Jeans Look Super Realistic in Remastered Trilogy |last=Kotzer |first= Zack|date=December 3, 2016 |website=Vice|access-date= February 24, 2023|quote= Taking the classic 2D platformer 3D in a more literal fashion, jumping around obstacles along zany corridors, the quickly became PlayStation's killer app.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Jaime Banks |author2=Robert Mejia |author3=Aubrie Adams |date=2017 |title=100 Greatest Video Game Characters |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qmSDgAAQBAJ |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=45 |quote=...Moreover, Crash was one of the first 3D characters to feature higly expressive facial animations, helping the game to serve as a "killer app" for PlayStation. |isbn=9781442278134}}</ref> are the killer apps for the ]. ''Tomb Raider'' was released for the Sega Saturn first and for ] at the same time, but the games contributed substantially to the original PlayStation's early success. See ''Blache Fabian & Lauren Fielder'' and ''NG Alphas''.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
**'']'' is another killer app for the ]. ''Computing Japan'' magazine said that it was largely responsible for the PlayStation's global ] increasing 60% from {{nowrap|10 million}} units sold by November 1996 to {{nowrap|16 million}} units sold by May 1997.<ref name="Computing-Japan" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/features/the-road-to-playstation-5-feature/ |title=The Road to PlayStation 5: A CGM Story|last= Goh |first=Clement |date=November 16, 2020 |website=CGMagazine Online |access-date=February 24, 2023 |quote=...Called Final Fantasy VII, its combination of real-time 3D graphics and rich movie-quality storytelling gave Sony a permanent formula. The PlayStation also found its killer app, selling 10 million copies worldwide and put more systems in households.}}</ref>
*'']'' and '']'' are the killer apps for the ].<ref name="hutchinson20130113">{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Lee |date=January 13, 2013 |title=How I launched 3 consoles (and found true love) at Babbage's store no. 9 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/01/how-i-launched-3-consoles-and-found-true-love-at-babbages-store-no-9/ |access-date=June 20, 2020 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 5 of 8) |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110069/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-5-of-8/ |magazine=] |date=April 24, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404032903/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110069/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-5-of-8/ |access-date=May 17, 2021 |archive-date=April 4, 2010}}</ref>
*'']'', '']'', and '']'' are the killer apps for the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/03/02/a-brief-history-of-dreamcast |title=A Brief History of Dreamcast |date=March 2, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/nov/28/sega-dreamcast-at-20-futuristic-console |title=Sega Dreamcast at 20: The futuristic games console that came too soon |website=] |date=November 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/15/sega-needs-back-on-iphone |title=SEGA Needs Back on iPhone |date=May 15, 2009}}</ref>
**'']'' is a killer app for the ] in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sega Rolls On|magazine=]|date=December 1999|page=10}}</ref>
*'']'' and the '']'' games are the killer apps for the ].<ref name=GT3sales>{{cite magazine |title=Final Reality |author=Nicholson, Zy |issue=11 |date=September 2001 |pages=49, 50 |magazine=]}}</ref><ref name="auto" />
*'']'', '']'', and '']'' are the killer apps for the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/05/21/the-best-star-wars-games-ever-made |title=The Best Star Wars Games Ever Made |date=May 21, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/100/100981p1.html |title=Super Smash Bros. "Million" in Japan |date=January 17, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 5, 2002 |title=MARIO DELIVERS! Super Mario Sunshine Launches At Record Pace, Boosts Hardware Sales |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/MARIO+DELIVERS!+Super+Mario+Sunshine+Launches+At+Record+Pace%2C+Boosts+...-a091071000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829072502/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/MARIO+DELIVERS!+Super+Mario+Sunshine+Launches+At+Record+Pace%2C+Boosts+...-a091071000 |archive-date=August 29, 2018 |access-date=December 11, 2017 |publisher=]}}</ref>
* '']'' and '']'' are the killer apps for the ],<ref>Craig Glenday, ed (March 11, 2008). "Hardware History II". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. p. 27. {{ISBN|978-1-904994-21-3}}.</ref> and the subsequent series entries became killer apps for the ] and ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/07/01/why-halo-the-master-chief-collection-will-save-the.aspx|title=Why 'Halo: The Master Chief Collection' Will Save the Xbox One -- The Motley Fool|last=Sun|first=Leo|date=December 15, 2016|newspaper=The Motley Fool|access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref>
** Many video game and technology critics call ] a more general killer app for the Xbox.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpjpAgAAQBAJ&q=halo+xbox+killer+app&pg=PT510 |title=Vintage Game Consoles |last1=Loguidice |first1=Bill |last2=Barton |first2=Matt |date=February 24, 2014 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9781135006501 |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref>
** '']'' is a killer app for the ] in Japan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/07/blue-dragon-sets-japan-ablaze/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223054506/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/07/blue-dragon-sets-japan-ablaze/ |archive-date=December 23, 2007 |title=Video Game News & Reviews}}</ref>
* '']'' is the killer app for the ].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/01/2007s-ten-burni/ |title=2007's Ten Burning Questions, Answered |magazine=Wired |last1=Kohler |first1=Chris}}</ref>
* '']'' boosted PlayStation 3 sales.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/06/17/nearly-500000-for-metal-gear-solid-4-in-japan|title=Nearly 500,000 for Metal Gear Solid 4 in Japan|first=John|last=Tanaka|date=June 17, 2008|website=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |author-link= Steven L. Kent |date=2021 |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and the Billion-Dollar Battle to Shape Modern Gaming |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UosOEAAAQBAJ|edition= 2nd|publisher=]|page= 408-410|isbn=9781984825445}}</ref>
* '']'' is a killer app for the ] in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/465552/mario-kart-8-boosts-uk-wii-u-hardware-sales-666/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602175424/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/465552/mario-kart-8-boosts-uk-wii-u-hardware-sales-666/ |archive-date=June 2, 2014 |title=Mario Kart 8 boosts UK Wii U hardware sales 666% - CVG US }}</ref>
* '']'' is a killer app for the ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Craddock |first1=Ryan |title=Anniversary: Nintendo Switch Launched Four Years Ago Today |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/03/anniversary_nintendo_switch_launched_four_years_ago_today |access-date=April 18, 2021 |work=] |date=March 3, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawver |first1=Bryan |title=All 17 Legend of Zelda games, ranked from worst to best |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/zelda-games-ranked-best-worst |access-date=April 18, 2021 |work=] |date=2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Camden |title=Why Breath Of The Wild Fans Will LOVE A Short Hike |url=https://screenrant.com/games-like-zelda-breath-wild-short-hike-switch/ |access-date=April 18, 2021 |work=] |date=August 20, 2020}}</ref>
* '']'' is a killer app for ]s,<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKeand |first1=Kirk |title=Half-Life: Alyx review - VR's killer app is a key component in the Half-Life story |url=https://www.vg247.com/2020/03/23/half-life-alyx-review/ |website=VG247 |access-date=March 24, 2020 |date=March 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Carbotte |first1=Kevin |title=Half-Life: Alyx Gameplay Review: (Almost) Every VR Headset Tested |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/reviews/half-life-alyx-gameplay-vr-headset |website=Tom's Hardware |date=March 23, 2020 |access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Andrew |title=Review: Half-Life Alyx is VR's stunning killer app |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/reviews/half-life-alyx |website=VGC |access-date=March 24, 2020 |date=March 23, 2020}}</ref> as the first true ] ] ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oloman |first1=Jordan |title=Half-Life: Alyx is a watershed moment for virtual reality {{!}} TechRadar |url=https://www.techradar.com/amp/news/half-life-alyx-is-a-watershed-moment-for-virtual-reality |website=www.techradar.com|date=March 23, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CES 2020: Teslasuit Will Unveil New Haptic VR Gloves |url=https://www.techtimes.com/amp/articles/246665/20191227/ces-2020-teslasuit-will-unveil-new-haptic-vr-gloves.htm |website=Tech Times |date=December 27, 2019}}</ref> Sales of VR headsets such as the ] increased dramatically after its announcement, suggesting users bought the product specifically for the game.<ref>Parlock, Joe (December 9, 2019). , ''Forbes''. Retrieved December 30, 2019.</ref>
* '']'' was called a killer app for ]'s ] subscription, and the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/119812/microsoft-flight-simulator-review-the-killer-app|title = ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' review: The killer app|date=August 17, 2020}}</ref>
* '']'' games are killer apps for Nintendo handhelds,<ref>{{cite book |last=Bell |first=David |date=2004 |title=Cyberculture: The Key Concepts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UFP3A04JQKwC&pg=PA95 |publisher=] |page=95 |isbn=9780415247542}}</ref> often topping the best-selling charts for whatever system they appear on.


==Trends== ==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References==
]' '']'' compelled many to purchase the ].]]
{{reflist|refs=
There have been a number of new uses of the term. For instance the usefulness of ] drew many people to use ]s, while the ] web browser is generally credited with the popularization of the ] and hence the ]. The term has also been applied to ] that cause consumers to buy a particular ] or gaming hardware. ] saw much success with the releases of ] and ]. The ] saw Tetris, and following Game Boy iterations saw the highly successful ] series. ] of new platforms now tend to focus considerable effort into discovering or creating the next "killer app" for a given technology.


<ref name="auto">{{cite book |last1=Stevens |first1=Chris |title=Designing for the iPad: Building Applications that Sell |date=January 4, 2011 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-470-97693-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUUfc9Z06D4C&pg=PA100 |language=en}}</ref>
==Selected applications for computer systems==


<ref name="bergin2006">{{cite journal |title=The Origins of Word Processing Software for Personal Computers: 1976-1985 |author1=Bergin, Thomas J. |journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing |date=Oct–Dec 2006 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=32–47 |doi=10.1109/MAHC.2006.76 |s2cid=18895790}}</ref>
*]: ]
*]: ]
*]: ], ], ] Netware
*]: ]
*]: ]
*]: ]


<ref name="Computing-Japan">{{cite magazine |title=The lack of a killer app |magazine=Computing Japan |date=1997 |volume=36-41 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fdqZAAAAIAAJ |publisher=LINC Japan |quote=Noguchi points out that every time sales of a particular game console have taken off, it has been because it had a new "killer software". Nintendo had '']'', '']'', and '']''. And Sony PlayStation now has '']'', which has been selling like hotcakes since it was released at the end of January. Total shipments of PlayStation, which numbered 10 million worldwide as of November 1996, had jumped to 12 million by February 14 and 16 million by the end of May.}}</ref>
==Selected applications for gaming consoles==


<ref name="vaughannichols201305">{{cite news |last= Vaughan-Nichols |first=Steven |date=May 14, 2013 |title=Goodbye, Lotus 1-2-3 |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/goodbye-lotus-1-2-3/ |access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref>
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''
*''']:''' ''], ], ], ], ], ]''
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''
*''']:''' ''], ], ], ], ]''
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']'','']''
*''']:''' ''], ]''
*''']:''' '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']'', '']''
*''']:''' '']''


}}
==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]

==Further reading==
* ] and ], ''http://www.killer-apps.com Unleashing The Killer


]
] ]
]
]
]
]

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Latest revision as of 22:34, 30 December 2024

"Killer app" redirects here. For the video game, see Tron 2.0: Killer App.

Marketing term

A killer application (often shortened to killer app) is any software that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as its host computer hardware, video game console, software platform, or operating system. Consumers would buy the host platform just to access that application, possibly substantially increasing sales of its host platform.

Examples

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

Although the term was coined in the late 1980s one of the first retroactively recognized examples of a killer application is the VisiCalc spreadsheet, released in 1979 for the Apple II. Because it was not released for other computers for 12 months, people spent US$100 (equivalent to $400 in 2023) for the software first, then $2,000 to $10,000 (equivalent to $8,000 to $42,000) on the requisite Apple II. BYTE wrote in 1980, "VisiCalc is the first program available on a microcomputer that has been responsible for sales of entire systems", and Creative Computing's VisiCalc review is subtitled "reason enough for owning a computer". Others also chose to develop software, such as EasyWriter, for the Apple II first because of its higher sales, helping Apple defeat rivals Commodore International and Tandy Corporation.

The co-creator of WordStar, Seymour Rubinstein, argued that the honor of the first killer app should go to that popular word processor, given that it came out a year before VisiCalc and that it gave a reason for people to buy a computer. However, whereas WordStar could be considered an incremental improvement (albeit a large one) over smart typewriters like the IBM Electronic Selectric Composer, VisiCalc, with its ability to instantly recalculate rows and columns, introduced an entirely new paradigm and capability.

Although released four years after VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3 also benefited sales of the IBM PC. Noting that computer purchasers did not want PC compatibility as much as compatibility with certain PC software, InfoWorld suggested "let's tell it like it is. Let's not say 'PC compatible', or even 'MS-DOS compatible'. Instead, let's say '1-2-3 compatible'."

The UNIX Operating System became a killer application for the DEC PDP-11 and VAX-11 minicomputers during roughly 1975–1985. Many of the PDP-11 and VAX-11 processors never ran DEC's operating systems (RSTS or VAX/VMS), but instead, they ran UNIX, which was first licensed in 1975. To get a virtual-memory UNIX (BSD 3.0), requires a VAX-11 computer. Many universities wanted a general-purpose timesharing system that would meet the needs of students and researchers. Early versions of UNIX included free compilers for C, Fortran, and Pascal, at a time when offering even one free compiler was unprecedented. From its inception, UNIX drives high-quality typesetting equipment and later PostScript printers using the nroff/troff typesetting language, and this was also unprecedented. UNIX is the first operating system offered in source-license form (a university license cost only $10,000, less than a PDP-11), allowing it to run on an unlimited number of machines, and allowing the machines to interface to any type of hardware because the UNIX I/O system is extensible.

Usage

One mark of a good computer is the appearance of a piece of software specifically written for that machine that does something that, for a while at least, can only be done on that machine.

— Steven Levy, 1985

The earliest recorded use of the term in print is in the May 24, 1988 issue of PC Week: "Everybody has only one killer application. The secretary has a word processor. The manager has a spreadsheet."

The definition of "killer app" came up during the deposition of Bill Gates in the United States v. Microsoft Corp. antitrust case. He had written an email in which he described Internet Explorer as a killer app. In the questioning, he said that the term meant "a popular application," and did not connote an application that would fuel sales of a larger product or one that would supplant its competition, as the Microsoft Computer Dictionary defined it.

Introducing the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs said that "the killer app is making calls". Reviewing the iPhone's first decade, David Pierce for Wired wrote that although Jobs prioritized a good experience making calls in the phone's development, other features of the phone soon became more important, such as its data connectivity and ability to install third-party software (which was added later).

The World Wide Web (through the web browsers Mosaic and Netscape Navigator) is the killer app that popularized the Internet, as is the music sharing program Napster.

Applications and operating systems

Video games

The term applies to video games that persuade consumers to buy a particular video game console or accessory, by virtue of platform exclusivity. Such a game is also called a "system seller".

See also

References

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  3. 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.
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