‘12 apps you need on your phone’: That is the title of yet another summary of Israel’s app industry. The fact is that these articles abound on the internet. And it can be mind-blowing to consider just how a desert-country like Israel has come to be such a prominent global player in this market.

The first ever Israel Mobile Summit has taken place in Tel Aviv. The need for such an event is apparently obvious to those in the sector.

…..most of the multinationals in the mobile industry, from Samsung to Apple to Huwaei, have R&D labs in Israel. At this year’s MWC in Barcelona, more than ten percent of the 1,900-plus companies presenting were Israeli or had major R&D labs here.

To appreciate just how successful this sector, grab hold of these three newsbytes from the past month or so.

• Israel’s most popular app is not Waze, Dragonplay or Viber, even though they sold out for hundreds of millions. Somewhat surprisingly, ” TabTale, developer of mobile games for kids, is the leading independent app distributor in Israel – both in terms of revenue, and downloads…With 40 million active users each month, TabTale enjoys the status of being one of Israel’s leading game companies. “
• In a different arena, I was drawn towards Red Button, an app developed to help children cope with cyber bullies. When you consider this growing danger of cyber violence and that this is a solution that will help a child counter attack without ‘leaving the field of battle’, that is very clever thinking by the developers.
• And you cannot failed to be impressed by MySizeID. Still in development stage, it is looking to raise money on NASDAQ. A simple concept, the app allows people to buy over the internet, using the phone to take your vital measurements.

So what next? Well, Hyundai has announced that it wants Israeli app tech to be a key factor in its next generation of ‘connected cars’. That will secure Israel a role to play in the lives even in those countries that detest the government in Jerusalem.