TechMiso

TechCrunch, known for its sometimes provocative, but current reporting, announced a promising new addition to the pipeline at Apple’s App Store — Swine Flu Tracker — produced by IntuApps.

Although TechCrunch’s MG Seigler spins this new app as the “latest thing to capitalize” on swine flu, he makes a slight touch on its importance-

…it’s [Swine Flu Tracker] also pretty useful as a way to know what areas to avoid on the go…

“Pretty useful?”

‘Pretty useful’ and ‘latest thing to capitalize’ undermine the importance of apps in this genre. Rather than track your friends as they hop party to party, IntuApps gives the public a vehicle to track how to avoid our modern day plague, aka: swine flu.

A large percentage of The App Store is already packed with non-productive junk. So much junk that Apple vetted and approved a pointless and vile ‘baby shaker’ app — as we reported here earlier this week.

TechCrunch labeling IntuApps’ virus tracking app as just another ploy for revenue and saying so during a time swine flu cases increase across the world is disappointing.

Confusingly though, in the same story, TechCrunch backpedals their message and say-

It’s good to know that IntuApps will be giving the app away for free when it is available in the App Store.

How does ‘free’ translate to ‘capitalizing?’ And is capitalizing on an app like IntuApps’ Swine Flu Tracker such a bad thing? Or could it drive interest and development for similar tools from other companies?

Even should IntuApps charge for their new mobile tracking app, this and all efforts by companies who develop and deploy ways to promote public awareness deserve loud applause and full accolades.

Proliferating iPhone use in industries like healthcare is just what we all envision technology’s ideal role in society to be. Encouraging companies like IntuApps rather than criticizing them is a no-brainer.