Yes... apps are just a subset of software. Apple has used the term Applications since the early days of the Mac. The OS X dictionary defines them this way: "

Yes... apps are just a subset of software. Apple has used the term Applications since the early days of the Mac. The OS X dictionary defines them this way: "a program or piece of software designed and written to fulfill a particular purpose of the user" There was a time when desktop applications were small too. The first version of Photoshop I ever saw, when compressed, fit on an 800K floppy. Apple released the source to MacPaint 1.3, an early Mac application. It's only 67.8K http://www.computerhistory.org/highlights/macpaint/ http://www.computerhistory.org/highlights/macpaint/ iOS apps may have simple interfaces, but the hardware is powerful enough to do many things with. I think VLC is a good example of a non-trivial app. It's much bigger than MacPaint! http://m.macupdate.com/info.php/id/35314/vlc-media-player http://m.macupdate.com/info.php/id/35314/vlc-media-player