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Photo courtesy of apievangelist.com

We are clearly far past the point of having to explain the benefits of API management and services, but there are still specific aspects where more attention is merited. In particular, partners.

Image courtesy of lancekorsun.com

2013 looks like it’s going to be a good year for APIs. Beyond Google, Facebook and Twitter, companies in the travel industry are beginning to recognize the benefits of conducting business via APIs.

Last week, Room 77, a hotel booking startup, provided yet more proof that API-based collaboration can generate massive and mutually beneficial ROIs.

Smartphones and tablets continue to top Christmas lists this year, as the mobile revolution sweeps into 2013. But Santa is increasingly fielding app requests, too, since even smartphones aren’t terribly bright without quality content.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, Google made a big splash this week with the release of its much-anticipated Google Maps for iPhone.  The wait is finally over and we can all move on from our complaining about the lack of public transportation directions and the inaccuracies of Apple Maps to figuring out which app we like best.  I won’t try to do a side-by-side comparison of the two apps – many, more qualified people have done this already (this is a pretty insightful and comprehensive review). 

An interesting infographic came out this month on the trajectory of iOS devices in today’s higher education institutions. The Australian think tank Open Colleges culled the core set of global data available on how far up the ivory towers we now find Apple fan boys, fanatics and fellows.

Less than a decade ago, we were limited to accessing the Internet via a monitor, keyboard and speakers overtaking our desks. Today, we view and engage with connected content by virtually every kind of device in our lives: our smartphones, tablets, television sets, even alarm clocks. At the heart of this ‘magic’ are the same engines that power our apps and websites of today: APIs.