Best practice tips for iPhone apps
Apps are big business, with Apple recently passing the landmark of 1.5bn apps downloaded by users, and there are now more than 65,000 iPhone apps in the App Store.
With so many competing apps, developers and brands need to deliver the best possible user experience. Here are a few best practice tips for improving the usability of iPhone apps...
YouTube looks into online movie rentals
YouTube's quest for professionally created content is about to get interesting. The Wall Street Journal reports that the video giant is in talks with movie studios to stream movies to its users for a fee.
That will bring a shift from its free video supported by advertising model, but could go a long way toward helping the site turn a profit for Google — and possibly change the game for online film viewing.
The difference between the App Store and Android Market? A summer home
According to estimates in a recent report, around $200m in iPhone apps are sold each month in Apple's App Store. The same report pegged the amount of money generated by app sales in Google's Android Market at only $5m.
But one company that develops apps that are sold in both marketplaces, Larva Labs, suggests that the gap between the iPhone economy and the Android economy may be even greater.
The reason? Despite producing Android apps that are ranked well in the Android Market, that have been featured by Google and that sell for $4.99/each, the company only managed to make $62.39/day on average from Android app sales during the month of August. As Larva Labs' Matt Hall writes, "Very difficult to buy the summer home at this rate".
Freemium works in the iPhone's $2.4 billion App Store business
It may come as no surprise that more people download applications on the iPhone and iPod touch than on Google's Android phone, but on both services, people are making purchases based on services they've already tried for free.
Mobile ad network AdMob released its July survey results today. After surveying 1,117 mobile phone users, the company found that across platforms, free-to-paid upgrades are the most cited driver for mobile app purchases, helping to prove that the freemium model works. In mobile at least.
ABC partners with Netflix to stream its backlog of shows
Netflix has been hard at work getting its content on as many platforms as possible. This week, they're starting to stream early seasons of ABC shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives." There are also rumors of a Netflix app that will soon stream video content to the iPhone.
This is all great news for Netflix. But is it a winning situation for the networks? Yes.
Why government should stay out of the App Store
The Federal Communications Commission is investigating Apple and
AT&T after Google's Voice iPhone app was rejected for inclusion in
the App Store.
The justification: the FCC "has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment".
Twitter contests: How big can they get?
Twitter is proving a viral breeding ground for marketing tactics, but the microblogging site is not a limitless, or even a very predictable, space for generating brand buzz.
The distinction between a failed and successful Twitter campaign can be as simple as a prize technicality, and Twitter users' tolerance for brand spam is as yet unclear. But most worrying is the fact that right now Twitter is proving to be a fickle friend to marketers.
Why downloadable apps matter
The iPhone App Store may have sold over 1.5 billion mobile applications since its launch last year, but Google’s isn’t going to waste much time on pesky downloaded apps. It sees bigger opportunities on the mobile horizon. Like tailoring its Chrome browser to the space. And while it may suit Google just fine to focus its efforts on mobile browsing, developers shouldn't abandon the native app space just yet.
Microsoft takes the Mac versus PC fight to the streets
Microsoft is stepping up the Mac versus PC battles by fighting Apple on its own turf.
The two companies have been running competing Mac Vs. PC ads. And this winter, Microsoft announced that the company would open retail stores similar to Apple's. Now, the software giant is saying those stores will be right next door to its competitor.
App Store: 1.5bn served
In 1963, McDonald's reached a significant milestone that it would go on to proudly promote: 1bn hamburgers served. The milestone was achieved a mere 23 years after Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonald's restaurant in California.
But in the internet age, 23 years is an eternity. Just ask Apple. It announced yesterday that it had hit an impressive milestone of its own: more than 1.5bn apps downloaded in the App Store's first full year.
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Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
