App Store

iPhone 4S Causes 83% Surge in November App Store Downloads

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 28, 2011

When Apple launches a new iPhone or iPad, it invariably has an affect on the rest of its business.

The number of downloaded apps is one metric that will always see an increase when Apple brings a shiny new iOS device to market, simply because of all the new customers want to get some apps! Whether they are paid or free apps, Apple benefits in the long run.

The release of the iPhone 4S was no different, with new numbers showing just what a jump it caused in those all-important download figures. The iPhone 4S helped the App Store see an 83% increase in app downloads for November when compared to the same month last year...

Use Siri to Dictate Text to your Mac with Air Dictate

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Everyone loves Siri, or at least everyone that can actually make it work with their less-than-perfect accent does. It may be great to be able to ask your iPhone to do things and dictate messages to it, but you know what would be insanely great?

Yep. Using Siri to dictate content on your Mac.

That's where Air Dictate comes into play, giving iPhone 4S owners a way to harness the power of Siri's dictation feature and have it send the resultant text over to a designated Mac.

AppTweeter: Easily Tweet About Your Favorite App Store Apps

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 26, 2011

The sharing option for Apple's "Tell a Friend" feature in the App Store is a bit on the limited side. With a stock iPhone, you can't even use iOS 5's Twitter integration to tell your friends about your favorite apps.

Jailbroken iPhones, on the other hand, can — thanks to a recently released jailbreak tweak by the name of AppTweeter. Check inside for the full rundown...

Stuck on Gift Ideas? Give the Gift of Apps

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

We are so close to Christmas day now that we can almost smell the ham, but that isn't always good news. What if you haven't yet managed to pick up the perfect gift for that Apple-lovin' family member?

If you're all out of ideas, then how about giving the gift of apps?

If you know someone who is getting an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad this Christmas, then they will just love anything app related. You can pick up iTunes gift cards almost anywhere these days, and here is a quick reminder of how you can gift the perfect app, right from inside iTunes...

LogMeIn Remote Desktop App for iOS Goes Free

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 24, 2011

If you are the kind of person that finds yourself needing to access your computers from obscure, remote locations, then you are in for a spot of pre-Christmas luck. Especially if you like to be able to access said computers from your iOS devices.

LogMeIn Ignition, the beloved remote desktop app for the iPhone and iPad, has been released as a free app, now simply called LogMeIn. The app works as expected, and offers remote desktop functionality for those that need it.

But how will LogMeIn generate money, we hear you cry. Well, it's technically gone freemium ...

A Brief History of the iOS App Store and the Rise of the Mobile App

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

One of the biggest things to come out of the smartphone revolution is the rise of the mobile app. Before Apple, Google and the rest all set about creating their own on-device app stores. Users were left to live a life of boring apps that needed installing via a memory stick or, in the case of some smartphone operating systems, the downloading of executables that needed to be installed manually after fighting through a selection of security issues. Windows Mobile, I'm looking at you.

Apple, along with Research in Motion, began to change all that with a little help from Google. Nokia also got in on the act, before Microsoft finally began to get things right with Windows Phone 7. Apps, as we have all learned over the last few years, sell smartphones. Now, they also sell tablets.

This is all a far cry from Apple's early stance on an 'app store' when it released the iPhone along with its little brother, the original iPod touch...

Apple Fixes App Store Issue for iOS 3.1.3 Users

Cody Lee ∙ December 20, 2011

Over the last few days, reports have been surfacing that Apple pulled App Store access from iOS devices running iOS 3.1.3 and older. Support forums have been filling up over the past week with users complaining of the problem.

We predicted that the issue was an accident on Apple's part, and not just a way to force users to update their firmware. And it looks like our prediction was right. The App Store appears to have been restored for iOS 3.1.3 users.

iOS 3.1.3 Users Blocked From the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 20, 2011

Users of older versions of iOS may be left out in the app-less wilderness according to reports, with the App Store seemingly not impressed with users who have not updated their iPhones or iPod touches past iOS 3.1.3.

Apple has always been a strong proponent of users installing the latest version of an operating system, whether that be the latest and greatest release of OS X on a Mac, or the newest version of iOS available. It's a great way of squashing potential bugs and security holes while making sure developers have less OS fragmentation to deal with.

Some people don't want to update, though. Whether it be through a need to have a specific jailbreak work, or their iOS device simply doesn't have the chops to run the latest iOS release, some just do not want to upgrade. Reports have surfaced that devices running iOS 3.1.3 or earlier are unable to download apps from Apple's App Store...

Apple’s App Store is Worth More Than All of RIM

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Things aren't looking good for Research in Motion. The Blackberry makers have failed to produce a viable smartphone competitor for the market year after year, and stock has continued tanking to new lows.

With RIM's stock reaching $13.44 per share, the total company value was at $7.04 billion as of last week. The App Store is worth $7.08 billion, making the entirety of RIM worth less than only one part of Apple's business.

iOS Developers Have Only 24 Hours to Get Their Apps Ready for Christmas

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 19, 2011

Christmas is always a busy time of year, but if you are the developer of an iOS app, then Christmas can be the busiest time of the year.

As everyone knows, Apple is very strict about testing out each app before it is given the green light to enter the App Store. Add into the equation all the new iOS device owners that are added each Christmas, and the holidays can either make or break a company's yearly profits.

To make the season even more stressful on developers, Apple is getting ready to stop taking app submissions, with tomorrow being the cut-off date for the holidays. Submit a new app after Tuesday, and it will not be accepted in time to hit the App Store before the lucrative Christmas timeframe.

Halo Waypoint iOS App Released for Master Chief Fans

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Someone at Microsoft just can't stop pushing out new iOS apps and games, with yet another release coming from Redmond showing up in the App Store.

Just hours after Microsoft's Kinectimals found its way onto iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, another game-related app has landed, and this time it had help from Master Chief. Halo Waypoint ties right into all your Halo stats, letting players keep up to date with the competition as well as their own progress while away from their beloved Xbox 360.