What is a primary characteristic of real-time applications?

Real-time applications are primarily defined by their need for immediate data updates and interactions. This characteristic is crucial because these applications often serve scenarios where timely responses are critical, such as in financial trading systems, online gaming, or real-time communication platforms. The immediacy of data processing allows users to receive instantaneous feedback or results, which is essential for the application’s effectiveness.

In contrast, other options do not align with the core of what real-time applications do. For instance, processing large data sets asynchronously typically pertains to applications that handle data in a non-instantaneous manner, which does not serve the immediate feedback requirement. Batch processing refers to scenarios where data is collected, processed, and output in groups, making it incompatible with the real-time needs. Lastly, real-time applications often involve user interaction, as they are designed to respond dynamically to user actions, contrary to running without user input.