Apple does not hold a trademark on , or claim exclusive rights to the term `` app , '' which has been used as shorthand for `` application '' since at least the mid-1990s and in product names since at least 2002 , for example Google Apps ( introduced in 2006 ) .
Apple does not have a trademark on the word `` app '' , which has been used as short for `` application '' since at least the mid-1990s and in products since 2002 , for example Google Apps ( first introduced in 2006 ) .