CES: Good Idea of the Day — Sharing iPhone Apps via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

A panel at CES on the future of iPhone apps.

Here’s a good idea for virally marketing apps that Apple should think about — wirelessly beaming apps to other iPhones like the Zune’s music sharing feature.

Microsoft’s Zune is mostly a me-too product, but it’s one great feature is being able to lend music to friends Zune-to-Zune via Wi-Fi. Shared tracks can be played three times, after which they must be purchased from the Zune marketplace. It’s a great idea but tragically underused because there are so few Zunes out there.

Not so with iPhones. And one of the thorniest problems for iPhone users is discovering new apps. But what if you could share apps with friends iPhone-to-iPhone? With navigation of Apple’s overstuffed App Store such a chore, being able to quickly and easily share apps with friends would surely be a hit.

The idea was suggested by a member of the audience at a CES panel discussion about iPhone apps on Wednesday afternoon. None of the panelists had heard the idea before, but instantly warmed to it.

“Great idea,” said one of the panelists, Darren Cross of Fandango, with a laugh. “I’m writing it down right now.”

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