A Reality TV Show We Like: Planet of the Apps

When you’re sitting in front of the TV, what reality show would you watch? A little bit of The Voice…a little bit of Shark Tank, right? A mashup like that sounds like reality-TV heaven to us.

Good news for everyone! Apple’s streaming music service launched its first original TV show in June called Planet of the Apps, and it’s a slice of competitive reality-TV heaven, indeed.

As a digital headphones company, we’re love pretty much anything digital, viral, you name it. So, when we heard about a show discovering the next big app, we had to share.

The Show’s Premise

App inventors have one minute to pitch their idea while standing on an escalator (the show’s unique twist on an elevator pitch — kinda cool!). When they reach the end of the escalator, the inventors continue pitching their idea in front of an impressive group of A-list celebrity judges, who are entrepreneurs in their own right.

The Cast

Jessica Alba – actress, businesswoman, and co-Founder of The Honest Company
Gwyneth Paltrow – actress, singer, food writer, owner of GOOP
Will.i.am – rapper, singer, songwriter, music producer, fashion designer
Gary Vaynerchuk – wine critic, tech genius, social media pioneer, founder of VaynerMedia
Zane Lowe – radio and live DJ, record producer (not pictured above)

Back to the Premise

App inventors from all walks of life – coders, artists, dreamers, expert big picture thinkers — fight for a piece of the infinite app(le) pie that exists today. Ideas range from games and photography, to education and communication.

If the judges like what the inventor offers, they duel it out to mentor them. The winning judge will then represent the inventor in the next round, where another pitch will be make to Lightspeed Ventures, a venture capitalist group that invests in startups.

App Ideas

Here are some awesome ideas that have presented so far. We’re not sure if they’ll survive in the app world, but they seem cool for now.

Pair — Pair let’s you test the fit and finish of furnishings in a space (think bedroom, office, living room) just by using your iPhone.

Dote: The Mobile Mall — a bargain finder that lets you know when the price drops on your favorite clothes and makeup on over 100 brands, including Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and Nike.

Skootch — looks like Words with Friends and 2048 just had a baby! This word game makes you skootch letter tiles around to create words.

SILO — helps people with Apple Watch users stay focused on tasks and boost productivity. Press the focus button and a series of taps will nudge you to focus and take breaks. Weekly charts help track productivity week to week.