Unfair practices in the App Store?

The App Store might be only a few days old, but it has already proven itself to be a viable and potentially lucrative outlet for developers. With so many apps (and more being added all the time) for sale, getting exposure is extremely important if a developer wants to stand out in the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the market, especially in the games sector, is very competitive. But is the quest to compete leading to some unfair, and ultimately consumer unfriendly practices? Note: All of this data refers to the U.S. App Store, I'm unsure of the situation in other parts of the world.We got a tip from an iPhone developer, who requested anonymity, about some shady techniques being employed by some developers to obtain a higher app ranking in the App Store. As it stands right now, if you choose to browse the App Store in iTunes, not using the search but using the "All iPhone Applications" category, apps are visually displayed in alphabetical order. Well, they are supposed to be displayed in alphabetical order. As it stands right now, only five of the 21 titles displayed on the first page actually fit that criteria -- and they are the last five apps on that page.Some developers have figured out that adding a symbol or space before the game name will promote the app to the first page. Thus, Solitaire City, which alphabetically should be on page 26, is the very first app listed in the store. Other tiles like Whack the Groundhog, $0.99 Sudoku and 'ColorRise 3D' are all listed on the first page, instead of where they should be cataloged.Gallery: App Store HijinxContinue reading Unfair practices in the App Store?Permalink | Email this | Comments

Thoughts on the iPhone App Store review process

Should Apple have approved "I Am Rich"? Pretty much everyone agrees that it's a useless application. But once approved, should they have pulled it? Jason Kottke says it should stay in the App Store. He argues that Apple should be providing an open marketplace rather than a hand-selected boutique. Say what you will about Apple's App Store shortcomings (no shopping carts? What were they thinking!), iPhone consumers are split between those who'd prefer greater oversight and those who'd rather let the free market decide. Follow the jump for more thoughts about the App Store review process.Continue reading Thoughts on the iPhone App Store review processRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has some work to do with iTunes 7.7, iPhone 2.0, and the App Store

Section: iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iTunes, iPhone + Communications, iPhone, iPhone SDK & AppsApple’s recent launch of a few very popular services and products has brought many complaints and problems to the company. Despite this, the iPhone 3G has sold out practically everywhere, and the App Store is a huge hit, but Apple really needs to get on top of these issues. These products, namely iTunes 7.7, the App Store, and the iPhone 2.0 software, are near perfect, but each have its own flaws. After the break I will outline some of these issues. iTunes 7.7 Although this product’s initial failure could be blamed on the huge toll the servers were taking due to everyone trying to activate, it still needs some work. For one, syncing with the new iPhone 2.0 software isn’t quite there yet. For example, when you delete an app off of iTunes, but not your iPhone, that app will just be put back onto iTunes during the next sync, even though you don’t want it. Also, backing up iPhones with the new software takes an unbelievably long time, and some people have said those backups usually turn out to be corrupt. Let’s hope this gets fixed. App Store This part of the new iPhone was a huge success, with 10 million downloads in its opening weekend.  It has brought amazing third party apps to the device that make it much better than competing phones. That said, the App Store isn’t perfect, either. For example, it still has some difficulty when it comes to determining which applications need updating and how many updates there are. In addition to this, many developers are not at all happy with the review system and how hard it is to debug their apps and talk to their customers. iPhone 2.0 Software This is probably the part that needs the most work. Many iPhone users are experiencing all sorts of lag when typing, opening applications, and doing everyday stuff. Along with that, many applications are crashing upon launch, even Apple made apps. Some may argue that the growing list of lacking features (copy and paste, turn by turn nav, etc.) could even be an iPhone 2.0 software issue. Items such as this are making the iPhone seem like a bad device even though it isn’t. Did I miss anything? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments. Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

App Store downloads led by free apps; one quarter are games

Revealing the bias towards younger users, mobile ad group Medialets has tracked iTunes' App Store and finds that free apps rule the download charts, but that game developers are thriving in the paid world and that some developers should already be su...

iPhone App Store Thriving Despite Developer Tricks (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - Apple's new iPhone App Store already has customers talking and picking their favorites -- and bad-mouthing others. Earlier this week, Apple reported that App Store downloads exceeded 10 million in the first weekend. It said the store had more than 800 native applications, of which 200 were free and more than 90 percent were less than $10.

Apple rectifies App Store sorting

A while back we noted that there some shady practices going on at the App Store. Basically certain developers were putting spaces or other characters in the front of their application names so that they would come up on the first page in the alphabetical sort at the iTunes App Store. According to Infinite Loop Apple has quietly rectified the problem.It now seems that if you go to the App Store the default listing is by release date. However, if you change it to Name you'll find that the first page basically has what it's supposed to have. Right now displaying all iPhone apps (iTunes link) starts with the ebook 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Abacus second. It's nice to see that Apple has been proactive in taking care of this.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments