The new Apple online App Store, launched today, will provide
a set of more than 500 software applications, which include games, business
productivity tools, heath care, social networking, location-based services, mobile
commerce and educational programs. The huge app platform is expected to turn
iPhone’s operating system into the dominant market player, even though there
have been numerous releases over the past few months from its competitors.
“The reaction we have gotten so far has been really strong,”
told Mr. Steven Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, chairman and CEO, in a telephone
interview with the New York Times earlier this week. “The quality and the
sophistication of the applications you can write for the iPhone is in a
different class,” he added.
He wanted to make it clear that the company is not
interested in making a profit on selling games or any other applications, but
use them to attract new iPhone buyers. Apparently, developers receive a 70
percent cut of sales, which confirms Mr. Steven Jobs’ statement.
Even though the company’s competitors, such as Palm, RIM,
Nokia, Symbian and Microsoft, are working assiduously to catch up with its
sales figures and popularity, the iPhone’s head start seems to be sufficient
for keeping the first lane and perhaps even more important, looks at their
efforts with a rather detached and unconcerned attitude. Palm reported that
there are more than 30,000 active developers working on its software
improvement and Microsoft also announced that there are already more than
18,000 software applications available for its Windows Mobile system, used by 160
mobile phone carriers across the globe.
The marketing strategy involves a free download session for
25 percent of the first 500 applications which will be mainly composed of games,
while 90 percent of the commercial applications will be available for $9.99 or
even less.
The App Store can be downloaded for free by iPhone owners,
but demands a $9.9 payment from iPod touch owners. In order to access its
features, it also demands an iTunes 7.7 download, which is described by Apple’s
Software Update through this presentation:
”Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone
3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for
iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new
Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from
anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.”
Apple’s App Store offers 27 pages of applications, with
games such as Sudoku and FreeCell and also several applications for many other
Web sites and platforms such as popular social networking site MySpace, the
Web-based Pandora music service, Salesforce Mobile, Facebook, The New York
Times, Twitter, PayPal and even an e-book reader.
Also, the free applications include an iPhone version of the
Twitterrific Twitter client and an AIM instant-messaging client from AOL,
TypePad and Google.
The App Store buzz has only just begun and as soon as users will
begin to acknowledge its potential, the number of applications will surely
increase and its popularity, already high, will sky-rocket.
