Ben Borgers Retires Blocks, Leaving Competitors to Fight for Market Share

When Ben Borgers decided to shut down Blocks after graduating last year, it came as a shock to many members of the LHS community. The app, which launched in 2019, was used to organize students’ schedules, and subsequently dominated the market of LHS students. However, after the app was finally swept off the technological atmosphere, some students saw it as an opportunity to create their own alternatives to the platform and flew in to fill the gaping hole Blocks left in its place.

Soon, students’ emails began to burst with advertisements for creatively named schedule apps, including Daily, LHS Calendar App, Around the Clock, LHS Cal, LHS Scheduling App, Better Scheduling App,  and Bricks. 

LHS’s consumer-driven economy has forced app creators to add new features in order to control the market share.

“What really sold me on Daily was that you can customize the app with eye-catching colors. Developer [Ali] Mosallaei is truly a legend in that regard,” Mia Davis, a junior, said. 

Other developers have decided to cater directly to their audience, adding GPA calculators in order to satisfy the LHS student body.

“I no longer have to check Aspen every day to know my grades! LHS Calendar App does it all for me,” said Oliver Moore, a sophomore. “It’s what I’ve always wanted!”

Since Daily seems to be attracting the most users, other content creators have decided to move into other areas of interest. Already, six new alternatives to the Choosi app have been added to the app store, including Lunch App #1, Lunch App #2, and Lex Eat Lunch.

BY ANIKA BASU