Apple

App fatigue is real

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

I'm positive that this stat does not apply to me, but most smartphone users in the United States downloaded zero apps in a typical month, as per comScore's August 2014 mobile app report.

This is something that indie devs have had to live with for more than two years now and it remains to be seen if Apple's new App Store subscription terms will help solve this worrying problem.

Last month's research from Nomura, which relies on data from app tracker SensorTower, painted a gloomy picture for big name developers, too, as the top 15 app publishers saw downloads drop an average of 20 percent in the United States.

So, is the app boom really over or is this just a temporary blip?

Read More

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is concerned about Apple’s prospects in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

Activist investor Carl Icahn earlier this year sold his position in Apple, but that doesn't mean he no longer thinks Apple is a lucrative stock to invest in. Quite the contrary, he's made several billion dollars on Apple!

That being said, he would invest back in the Cupertino firm were it not for Apple's prospects in China, which he doesn't feel secure about although he's adamant that CEO Tim Cook is “doing a good job”.

Read More

Google copies Apple’s 85/15 revenue split for subscriptions, without 1-year requirement

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

Google surely didn't waste any time yesterday. Just a few hours into Apple's App Store announcements which revealed a new 85/15 revenue split for In-App Subscriptions, the Internet giant told Re/code that it, too, will be making a similar change concerning Android app subscriptions on the Play store.

But unlike Apple, which stipulates that devs will see the 70/30 revenue split turn into a 85/15 deal one after one full year of subscription, Google's Play Store 85/15 split would take effect immediately, without the one-year requirement.

Read More

More ‘macOS’ rebranding evidence discovered on Apple’s developer website

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

More evidence has surfaced that Apple is planning to rebrand OS X to macOS in the near future. As noted by MacRumors, a reference to the name-change has been spotted on a developer FAQ page outlining the new App Store revenue sharing policies.

The news follows a March sighting of a macOS reference hidden inside OS X code, and a similar slip-up in April on Apple's website. The change has long been speculated about, as it would bring the desktop OS in line with its younger platform siblings.

Read More

Former Embark CEO leaves Apple nearly three years after acquisition

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

David Hodge, former Founder and CEO of a company that Apple acquired in 2013 called Embark, announced today on Twitter that he has departed the company. At the time of the acquisition, Embark had transit data on large cities such as Chicago, New York, and San Francisco and had apps considered to be some of the best in their class. This data and the technology used in Embark apps have since helped improve the transit feature of Apple's Maps app.

Read More

App Store to gain Categories tab and easier app sharing with 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

Aside from a pair of major developer-facing enhancements that are coming to the App Store this fall—Search Ads and Subscription improvements—Apple appears adamant to fix some of the longstanding pain points with store navigation and app discovery.

For instance, the Featured tab will no longer show apps a user has installed on their device.

Apple also said that it'll be bringing back the Categories tab for the store and let you share apps on social media right from the Home screen with 3D Touch.

Read More

App Store’s Featured section will soon stop showing apps you already have installed

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

Beyond Search Ads and a bunch of new options for In-App Subscriptions, Apple is making  a few subtler changes to how the App Store's storefront apps function in the hope of improving app discovery.

As per SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, who also manages App Stores and Apple's relations with developers, the store's Featured tab will soon filter any apps you already have installed on your device, so that you're only looking at new apps.

Read More

Phil Schiller: “We’re never going to get rid of app review process”

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

As we told you this morning, Apple announced big changes are coming to the App Store this fall in the form of some well thought out improvements to In-App Subscriptions and all-new paid ads for apps in App Store search results.

Yesterday, SVP Phil Schiller sat down for an interview with The Loop's Jim Dalrymple to discuss other changes aimed at making app discovery better. The app review process, however, won't be going away anytime soon.

Read More

Magic Leap has been awarded design patent for a Star Wars-like VR headset

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

Augmented reality startup Magic Leap, which created the Leap Motion Controller for the Mac, has been awarded a design patent today by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a virtual reality headset which looks like a Star Wars helmet or something straight out of the Robocop movies. According to Andy Fouché, Magic Leap's Vice President of Public Relations, the patent does not represent the finished product.

Read More