Apple’s control issues have been a key ingredient in its success. CEO Steve Jobs is fond of pointing out that Apple’s hands-on approach to crafting both hardware and software has led to such breakthrough products as the Mac, the iPod and the iPhone–and it’s fair to say the attention to detail hasn’t hurt Apple’s marketing, either.
Eight months ago David Papazian was on top of the world. His company, Mobigame, had just released its first videogame for the iPhone. In the space of just a few weeks it had won two prestigious awards. The past two years of early mornings, late nights and tireless endeavour were set to pay off; the sacrifices had been worth it, the indie developer dream was coming true. Today, he sits dejected and worn.
Over the past three decades, a few titanic rivalries have defined the technology industry’s megatrends, ultimately determining which products eventually end up in consumers’ and companies’ hands. Now, adding to the annals of competition that include Microsoft’s clashes with Apple in the ’80s, IBM in the ’90s, and Google in this decade, the new defining rivalry in tech may be between Google and Apple.
The iTunes music store sells single songs at approximately the same price, with artist presented in more or less the same way. Apple’s App Store, however, is still somewhat like the wild west (at least as far as music goes), where the rules are being made up in real time.
I continue to think of my iPhone not as a phone but as a personal computer. Which is why I continue to be so nonplussed about Apple’s barring of some applications on the grounds that they compete with its own apps, and others at (reportedly) the behest of AT&T.
One day, Lance Stewart was trying to get out of Oxford Circus tube station in a hurry. “I got off the train and suddenly found myself behind a huge crowd of people blocking my way to the exit. I was just an average Joe in the rat race getting frustrated by being stuck behind the crowds.”
As social networking services and multiplayer games have become more prevalent, it was only a matter of time before somebody came up with an idea that combines the two.
Booyah Society, a new social gaming app that launched on Apple’s App Store on Monday, puts a game-like twist to social networking by rewarding users for recording and sharing real-life achievements with other members as well as on Facebook and Twitter, with which it is integrated.
Comcast is now on the iPhone bandwagon. On Thursday, Comcast, the largest cable operator in the U.S. by subscribers, announced a free application for the Apple device that lets customers check their Comcast email and home voice mail as well as surf their TV schedules.
In a megastore as big as Apple’s iPhone App Store, the secret to success is getting noticed. With more than 65,000 apps in 20 categories, app developers have come up with different strategies to accomplish that.
One focus is getting on Apple’s ranking lists, which people regularly comb through to find apps they want. Apple ranks free and paid apps based on the number of downloads.
As we approach the first anniversary of selling things on the iTunes App Store, I’d like to take the opportunity to look at where we’ve been and where we’d like to go. A lot of good things have happened since last July 11th, but there’s still much room for improvement.
Way back in what we called “the 80s,” my father bought a VCR. Its magic let us record TV shows for later viewing, and we loved it. In fact, VCRs did 4 things: 1) Record the show you were watching, 2) Record a show that was airing on a channel other than the one you were watching, 3) Watch videos previously recorded (your own or commercial movies), 4) Record shows all on its own.
I didn’t go to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday expecting a revolutionary new iPhone.
Apple continues to serve as nanny and tastemaker for its iPhone app store.
Here is the latest comic from our Joy of Tech friends at Geek Culture, Nitrozac and Snaggy. Joy of Tech appears three times a week in the Voices section of this site. (Click on the image to see a bigger version.)
Apple issued a statement Thursday apologizing for allowing the Baby Shaker application onto the App Store.
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