The App Store just turned three, and it never ceases to amaze us.
We all know how much of a commercial success it has been with how many apps have been downloaded. But from the new data Apple has disclosed about the App Store's 15 billionth download milestone, we can draw some interesting conclusions...
On this very day back in 2008, Steve Jobs announced the App Store. It was the day before the iPhone 3G launch, and nobody, perhaps not even Jobs himself, could foresee the amazing successes the App Store would have collected in the coming years.
I don’t want to bore you by saying how many apps were available and downloaded at any given moment, so I’ll just point out the most important ciphers. At the time of its launch, only 500 apps were available for download, but not even a year later, in April 2009, the number had increased to 35,000, with more than one billion downloads...
Today Apple announced that the 425,000 apps that are currently in the App Store have generated over 15 billion downloads, turning the store into what is without a doubt the most successful software marketplace.
The press release reveals that those 15 billion apps were downloaded on over 200 million iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. As part of their program, Apple has paid over $2.5 billion to developers worldwide...
It was recently announced that the there are now 100,000 apps made specifically for the iPad in Apple's App Store, and there are 500,000+ apps available to iOS users.
On the opposite side of the numbers spectrum, Microsoft just hit 25,000 apps in its own Windows Phone Marketplace. Sounds like there's still a lot of catching up to do...
EA, the popular game publisher on the App Store has discounted all their games on the App Store to $0.99. EA is among one of the top selling publishers in the App Store currently. Usually each weekend before a holiday, EA hosts a sale in which they discount all their games to $0.99.
The occasion for this sale is the 4th of July. I would recommend that you buy your games before Monday in case they end the sale on Tuesday. There is currently a vast selection of games for your to pick from...
Though the App Store is one of the best in the business, it certainly could stand a few changes. One of the refinements users have been calling for is the ability to take apps for a test spin.
The current policy calls for users to pay for applications before they get a chance to try them out. This isn't a huge deal with $0.99 applications, but you could potentially pay $20 or $30 for a program that ends up not working out...
Distimo has released a new study that focuses on the iPhone's App Store development in Asia. The analytics company examined data from 14 different countries, including China, to determine the App Store's influence in the Eastern hemisphere.
The report's findings placed China as the second largest market for Apple's App Store, next to the United States. Interestingly, while many European countries are seeing decreases in App Store activity, countries like China are seeing exponential growth in App Store download volume.
Most of you are probably aware of Apple's trademark lawsuit against Amazon. But if not, it's easy to catch up. The online retailer opened up a new app market earlier this year, entitled the Amazon Appstore for Android. Apple's legal team quickly filed a motion with the courts to ban the retailer from using their trademark.
Apple coined the term back in 2008 when they launched their infamous App Store, and they don't want customers confusing it with a 2nd rate offering. It looks like Apple is going to have to do better than that, as Bloomberg is reporting that the judge has stated that she will "probably" deny Apple's motion...
An interesting tidbit has been discovered in Apple's recently awarded iPhone patent. It looks as though Apple will indeed allow for the development of third party widgets in iOS 5.
For the past few weeks, jailbreak developers have been creating widgets for the iOS 5 Notification Center because Apple has yet to introduce an approved method for developing and distributing third party widgets.
According to the above patent, Apple will eventually allow for the creation of third party widgets on their platform.
As a recent Apple iPad 2 advert demonstrates, iOS devices are proving to be indispensable to doctors and medical professionals with the plethora of healthcare apps and accessories that are now available. Earlier today we reported on an upcoming iPhone application called iPhoneECG, which allows you to take a personal electrocardiograph with your iPhone and send it to your doctor.
When you've done that, you can now check your blood pressure, with a brand new accessory for Withings called the iPhone Blood Pressure Monitor. The $129 accessory works with your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and the free Withings companion app to provide a quick, easy and accurate self-messurement of your blood pressure...
If you're a New York Post reader and like to read your news via NYPost.com on an iPad, then you could find the process a little more complicated than it used to be. The newspaper has blocked access to its website from Apple's Mobile Safari browser.
In a clear attempt to push users away from the NYPost website and towards the iPad app. The New York Post's homepage now suggests users tootle off to the App Store if they want to get their news fix on Apple's super-successful tablet...
Although Apple's App Store is decidedly the most successful mobile software hub in the business, it's certainly not perfect. Sifting through the App Store's 400,000+ applications to discover new titles can be quite a cumbersome task.
In what appears to be a desperate attempt to stay relevant in the mobile software arena, Yahoo! has taken it upon themselves to remedy this issue by making their own application sorting service, dubbed- Yahoo! App Search...