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News tagged ‘App Store’
Apple removes blatant copycat apps from App Store
TechCrunch reports that Apple removed from the App Store a number of copycat applications such as Temple Run, Tiny Wings and Words with Friends that closely mimicked the titles of successful games after they provoked a public outcry from developers over the issue. The fraudulent apps were largely the work of developer Anton Sinelnikov.
Sinelnikov, however, is not alone in his efforts, as dozens of other applications from other developers have attempted to dishonestly capitalize on the successes of others. Numerous developers and users asked Apple to take down the offending apps. Keith Shepherd, the creator of Temple Run, noted on his account that an app like Temple Jump "taints the integrity of the App Store." After Apple pulled the app, Shepherd posted on Twitter that he was "thankful."
Leave a commentiOS Users Without Siri Can Use Evi
We have already seen Siri competitors making their way to the Android and Windows Phone Markets. Evi is another Siri counterpart that might actually become its true alternative for non-iPhone 4S iOS and Android users.
A Closer Look at iBooks Author
Yesterday Apple released an easy to use tool called iBooks Author, which allows anyone (publishers and users) to create interactive iBooks with text, video, images and more. iBook Author can export projects in a number of different formats, including iBook format, PDF and text.
The iBooks (version 2) format is an improved format created by Apple based on ePub 3. At present, this iBook format will only work with Apple's iOS devices. Even so, Apple has restricted sales of any iBook formatted documents coming from iBooks Author to the App Store.
The reason probably is that Apple may simply not want to feed content to competing bookstores such as Amazon or Google.
Apple working on version of Siri to help you purchase products online
This week AppleInsider discovered a new patent application from Apple that demonstrates company's interest in expanding its Siri voice-assistant to help with online shopping. The current version of the service available exclusively on the iPhone 4S does not allow users to make online purchases. The voice-driven personal assistant software responds with "Sorry, I can't purchase that," when a user tries to complete transactions with online stores.
The patent application, entitled "Intelligent Automated Assistant," is a detailed look not only at what Siri can already do, but what it might be able to do in the future. And it specifically highlights e-commerce as a key function of its "Intelligent Automated Assistant." The application notes that Siri could be used for "online purchases of items such as books, DVDs, music and the like."
iTunes U For iOS Devices Expands Educational Opportunities
Today in the second part of its education-focused media event Apple turned attention to iTunes U, free podcast section of the iTunes Store. Eddy Cue announced that more than 1,000 universities are using iTunes U, and its content was downloaded over 700 million times to date.
Apple Released iBooks 2 For Reading Interactive Textbooks
Today, during the education-focused media event Apple , an updated version of its e-book program for iOS devices. This update is a part of Apple’s move into sphere of , performed in cooperation with several major publishers.
Infinity Field HD Is The First App With Multiplayer Joypad Support
’ space shooter Infinity Field HD was updated with Joypad support. is an app which allows users to control supported games on Mac or iPad from an iPhone by turning it into a virtual controller with configurable buttons.
OnLive Introduces Streaming Windows 7 Desktop App For iPad
, video game streaming company, has introduced a virtual, streaming Microsoft Windows 7 Desktop app for iPad. The Desktop app, at CES, will finally be available on other platforms including Apple’s Mac. The full-functional versions of Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint will be available to users soon after CloudOn released its Office solution for iPad.
AT&T Announces APIs For HTML5 Web Apps
Mobile carrier AT&T is running its annual Developer Summit in Las Vegas at CES 2012 and CEO Ralph De La Vega addressed around 2,500 visitors from 33 different countries. Explaining why AT&A holds this summit, he said:
“What’s good for developers is good for customers”.
iPad App Store hits 3 billion downloads
ABI Research, which tracks mobile application downloads and revenues segmented by mobile operating system platform, announced in a press release on Wednesday that 3 billion applications designed specifically for Apple's iPad were downloaded via App Store since the iPad first launched in 2010. The iPad downloads represent 19 percent of all iOS App Store downloads.
"Discounting all of those apps that were originally downloaded for Android smartphones, Android still trails greatly behind the iPad in terms of its tablet app offerings," research associate Lim Shiyang said. "Many Android tablets in the market are still using older versions of Android, which disadvantages users from enjoying the better effects of apps produced from more advanced software development kits."
As of the third quarter of 2011 there are 120,000 applications created specifically for the iPad were available on the App Store, comparing with last June numbers that accounted 100,000 applications. The growth of iPad-specific applications and downloads of iPad software is comparable to the explosive start the iPhone had when the App Store first opened.
Apple Has Hired Adobe Executive Todd Teresi to Head iAd
Bloomberg that Adobe executive was hired by Apple to head up its mobile advertising unit iAd. Detailed information on the employment will be forthcoming.
Teresi has worked as VP of Media Solutions division in Adobe for the past nine months and previously worked in Yahoo, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Quantcast.
Apple reportedly planning New York City media event this month
All Things D reported on Monday that Apple is reportedly planning an event scheduled to take place in New York at the end of January. The company is said to use the event as a platform for an advertising or publishing announcement. Of course, many anxiously await the announcement of a much anticipated iPad 3 or new Apple TV, which some think will be launched later in 2012. Apple usually reserves product launches and important announcements for its home-state like the latest iPhone 4S, which debuted on Oct. 4, 2011 at Apple's campus.
According to sources close to the situation, Apple is planning an important — but not large-scale — event to be held in New York at the end of this month that will focus on a media-related announcement.
Per the usual caveat, the tech giant is well known for moving around their public show-and-tells, so this could certainly change at any moment.
Several of Apple's media and advertising units have significant presences in New York City, and Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue (Cue is currently heading up the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore) is said to take part in the end of the event that has caused rumors suggesting that Apple’s announcement may be connected with advertising or publishing.
iOS, Android activations surge 353% on record setting Christmas Day
In the first 20 days of December, mobile device activations tracked by analytics firm Flurry were around 1.5 million each day. As for December 25, it indicated that devices running Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms saw a huge spike in activations, growing 353 percent from average totals earlier in December. The previous record tracked by Flurry belongs to Christmas Day in 2010. On December 25, 2010 the users activated 2.8 million devices.
Flurry's statistics come from the company's analytics software, which is found in more than 140,000 applications. Peter Farago, vice president of marketing with Flurry, claimed that his company's statistics detect "roughly" 100 percent of new iOS and Android devices activated each day. Application downloads on both iOS and Android also grew by 125 percent on Christmas Day, reaching 242 million. For the first 20 days of December, downloads averaged 108 million.
Flurry expects that by the end of the year 2011 Apple's App Store will exceed 10 billion application downloads. Moreover, iOS applications rake in 300 percent more revenue than their Android counterparts. During Apple’s last quarterly earnings conference call Apple has not revealed daily iOS activations in over a year, but announced that more than 250 million iOS devices had been sold during the quarter.
Dominant U.S. App Store may be surpassed by China in 2012
According to a new study released by market research firm Distimo, despite the proliferation of handsets running Google's Android OS, which now accounts for 53 percent of the mobile smartphone market, Apple's U.S. App Store remains the top marketplace for mobile downloads. But Chinese App Store sales continue to grow and may even bypass Apple's U.S. App Store numbers in 2012.
Over the course of 2011, Apple's iPhone app sales saw a steady decline month-to month, though Distimo blames the lull on the later than usual release of the iPhone 4S. The lowest point of the year occurred in September when anticipation for the 4S was highest, and was followed by a spike upon the handset's debut. Peak revenue for the U.S. App Store came a little over a month after the newest version of Apple's smartphone was released. The same "anticipation effect" was seen in app sales for the iPad, as downloads declined in January and February only to pick up steam after the iPad 2 was released in March.
China now demonstrates a strong increase in downloads through 2011 and may surpass the U.S. App Store in 2012.
Evernote Released Skitch For iPad
In mid-August Evernote Skitch and released it as as a on the Mac App Store. Yesterday the company fulfilled its promise to launch a version of the program for iOS. Skitch for iPad is now available, allowing users to annotate, take notes, edit existing images and more on your Apple tablet.