Happy birthday Apple App Store

July 7th, 2009, 20:38 Posted By: wraggster

50,000 apps, one billion downloads and a slew of rival services – it’s not a bad list of achievements for the Apple App Store, which can rightly lay claim to revolutionising the way in which mobile software is distributed. And all of this in its first year, too.
Of course, in many ways the App Store has simply followed paths laid down by numerous predecessors. Mobile apps have existed in one form or another for quite some time – the thing that Apple changed was how all this content is accessed.
Browsing the App Store and getting an app onto your iPhone remains a quick, easy and secure pleasure and encapsulates the very elements that have made Apple the success it has become – sexiness and ease of use.

Whilst there may well be “an app for everything”, the real revolution that Apple has stimulated is in the games industry. The abundance of games on offer (13,000 and counting) and the eye-wateringly low prices have asked serious questions of established retail models, prompting nearly all major publishers to turn their attention to the device.
It’s also taken the baton first picked up by the likes of Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare and breathed a whole new lease of life into indie development. With the right product, the talented solo developer can now stand toe-to-toe with the very biggest of the big boys.
Apple is most likely pretty secure in its position atop of the mobile distribution mantle right now, but the biggest challenge it will face in the next year is keeping ahead of rival services, most notably Google’s Android – though let’s not yet write off rival offerings from the likes of Nokia, RIM, Samsung and others.


Pressure may also mount on Apple to open a second ‘premium’ store for its more corporate partners who have previously expressed their desire to sell their wares without the worries of competition from free rival offerings.
And by the time the App Store’ second birthday arrives the iPhone 4 will most likely be with us, increasingly the market fragmentation challenges already posed by the new iPhone 3GS.
But it would be a brave person who bets against Apple maintaining its dominance for a long time to come.


Happy birthday, App Store!

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...pple-App-Store

There are 0 comments - Join In and Discuss Here