app store | Internet Marketing Blog

iEncroach: is Apple going too far?

Apple's WWDC events are always big news, and yesterday was no exception.

Steve Jobs himself took to the stage as the company unveiled its first official look at iOS 5, which is now available in beta to iOS Developer Program members.

by Patricio Robles 07 June 2011 14:32pm 3 comments

App Store jumps past 500,000 iOS apps

This week, Apple achieved what may be one of its most impressive milestones to date. In the past three years, it has approved 500,000 iOS applications for entry into the App Store.

The App Store, of course, is the world's most popular 'app store.' Billions of iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch apps have been downloaded through it, generating billions of dollars in sales.

For developers hoping to hit the jackpot developing apps for smart phones and other portable devices, the App Store is almost always priority numero uno.

by Patricio Robles 25 May 2011 15:05pm 2 comments

Apple starts squeezing pay-per-install apps

The numbers leave no doubt: when it comes to buying mobile apps, consumers feel far more comfortable handing their money over to Apple via the App Store.

A big reason for that is Apple's app approval process, which, love it or hate it, arguably provides a much greater level of quality assurance than is found in competing app stores, such as Google's Android Market.

But despite Apple's often opaque approach to App Store rules, the iPhone developer ecosystem isn't exactly squeaky clean...

by Patricio Robles 21 April 2011 15:40pm 3 comments

Apple's App Store subscriptions: the good, the bad and the ugly

Some publishers believe that Apple may hold the key to a profitable future. Thanks to the success of the company's iPad, for instance, there's a lot of excitement amongst traditional publishers who have seen their revenue from 'old' channels like print plummet. Some publishing moguls, such as Rupert Murdoch, are so excited that they're investing tens of millions of dollars in iPad publishing.

But previously, there was a huge barrier: a lack of an Apple-sanctioned solution for selling subscriptions from within Apps. That solution came yesterday, and it offers some things publishers will probably love, but a few things publishers will likely hate too.

by Patricio Robles 16 February 2011 13:19pm 4 comments

Amazon's Android app store pricing model could be good for developers

It's no surprise that Amazon is launching an app store for Android. The ecommerce giant has come a long way since it started selling books online. Today, Amazon is rapidly evolving into a content company. And mobile apps are already a big part of the digital content business.

But despite Amazon's brand and size, there's no guarantee that it will become a successful player in the mobile app space. Apple is the 800 pound gorilla, and history isn't exactly conclusive when it comes to Amazon versus Apple. While Amazon's Kindle seems to be holding its own with the iPad, its MP3 store has hardly put a dent in the success of iTunes.

by Patricio Robles 17 January 2011 09:32am 1 comment

The Mac App Store is here. Should developers worry?

With the App Store, Apple has positioned itself as one of the most powerful players in digital content. Millions upon millions of customers now acquire everything from music to mobile apps through it.

But when it comes to Mac desktops and laptops, the App Store is irrelevant. Until now.

by Patricio Robles 06 January 2011 09:26am 5 comments

Will the Mac app store change the desktop software landscape?

Are you ready to buy desktop applications through an app store? Apple thinks you are. In the next few months, it will roll out the Mac app store, which will let Mac owners purchase desktop software apps the same way iPhone owners purchase apps for their phone. And Microsoft has plans of its own for a Windows desktop software app store.

The big question: will the app store model work on the desktop? And is the desktop even a market worth targeting?

by Patricio Robles 25 October 2010 09:03am 3 comments

Apple to give developers guidance, Adobe a chance

Not sure why Apple hasn't permitted your awesome iPad app in the App Store? Worried about developing an iPhone app using anything but Objective-C?

Rejoice. Yesterday Apple made a major, unexpected announcement: it's going to be providing official guidelines "to help developers understand how we review submitted apps" and it's also easing restrictions on the tools developers can employ when developing for the iPhone/iPad.

by Patricio Robles 10 September 2010 11:50am 2 comments

Wanted: non-developers to develop Android apps

When Apple made it clear that apps created with Adobe's Flash Packager for iPhone would not be permitted in the App Store, Steve Jobs had an explanation: "We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform."

Many, myself included, found Jobs' explanation to be somewhat disingenuous. Tools that facilitate cross-platform development aren't necessarily responsible for bad code and poor software; bad development practices and poorly-skilled developers almost always are.

by Patricio Robles 13 July 2010 13:20pm 0 comments

Hackers turn iTunes into iFraud

Recently, authorities in the United States uncovered a scam in which criminals stole millions of dollars by making small charges to stolen credit cards. The average charge ranged from as little as 25 cents to no more than $9, which explains why 94% of the victims never noticed the charges.

If complaints that surfaced this past weekend are any indication, scammers with a similar model have set their sights on one of the world's most popular service for buying digital content: iTunes/the App Store.

by Patricio Robles 07 July 2010 09:40am 0 comments