Will This Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone App Revolutionize Email?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) currently has over 700,000 apps available for download in its App Store, so it’s worth following the developers that consistently produce high-quality award-winning programs. Orchestra, the maker of Orchestra To-do, Apple’s No. 1 Productivity App of 2011, deserves to be on everyone’s short list of top developers.

Earlier today, Orchestra announced its newest app in development, called Mailbox. Originally reported by The Verge, Mailbox is set to be released “early” next year and is in closed beta at the moment. The app has been reviewed as “a beautifully designed messaging client meshed with a swipe-able productivity app,” comparable to popular players in this space like Sparrow and Clear.

On its own website, Orchestra calls Mailbox “a whole new inbox,” adding that the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone app’s most notable features include the ability to “quickly swipe messages to your archive or trash,” and the option to “Snooze” emails to put them off to a later date. Mailbox will be synch-able with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Gmail as well. Here’s what the developers had to say:

“We’re taking the very best experiences from the apps we use everyday and applying them to this archaic medium. It’s a new way of looking at your email, but when you use Mailbox for the first time, we believe you’ll say ‘of course.'”

While it’s tempting for investors to shrug off this news – after all it is a free app – it does give Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a key advantage over Android, giving it more ammunition in the so-called “Mobile Battle.”

Orchestra hasn’t released its popular To-Do app for Android OS, instead deciding to focus on the iPhone and its own online platform, and has not announced any plans to make Mailbox available for the Apple competitor. While it’s always possible that an Android app is developed down the road, the odds are slim at best, given the historical precedent.

With another potential top-tier productivity app in iOS 6, will Orchestra’s latest creation help Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) close the market share gap between itself and Android in the smartphone space? There are few apps that have the potential to drive product sales entirely, but Mailbox looks to be one of these rare gems due to its focus on Email, one of the most important features of any mobile device. Let us know your thoughts on Mailbox in the comments section below.