Tech wrap: Apple hits new app download milestone
Apple customers sure like their apps. More than 15 billion applications have been downloaded from the App Store by iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users since its launch in July 2008, according to new figures from the company.
To put that number in context, remember it was just this past January when Apple announced its 10 billionth app download. That means customers have downloaded around 5 billion apps this year alone, compared to the 2-1/2 years it took to reach the 10 billion mark. Apple can thank its wildly popular iPad for the surge in demand. Of the more than 425,000 apps now available from the App Store, 100, 000 are designed specifically for the tablet computer.
Meanwhile, Apple’s attempt to stop online retailer Amazon.com from using the “App Store” name has failed. Apple filed a trademark lawsuit saying Amazon improperly used the name to solicit developers in the U.S. Amazon responded by saying the term is generic. The U.S. judge who denied Apple’s request argued that while the term wasn’t purely generic, the company failed to prove “a likelihood of confusion” with Amazon’s service.
Amazon finally lived up to its promise that New York Times Kindle subscribers would have free access to NYTimes.com, nearly three months after originally announcing the promotion. Subscribers using the Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-reader aren’t so lucky yet, though. As mocoNews.net notes, the company’s website still tells readers it can expect access “soon” and “in the coming weeks”.
YouTube gave users a peep at a new design for its website on Thursday. TechCrunch praised the video portal’s revamp, codenamed “Cosmic Panda”, calling it slick and dramatic. Test it out for yourself.
Apple’s list of top apps offers insight into mobile web
Among the year-end lists popping up around the web, one of the most closely watched is Apple’s annual Rewind lists. It’s almost like an awards ceremony for the things we carry around on our mobile devices, and it’s an especially informative proxy for trends that emerged in the burgeoning market for mobile apps.
Unlike previous years, Apple didn’t break out the top-selling games and non-gaming apps into different categories, making comparisons a little tricky. Even so, there are a couple of interesting things to note. For example, the top-selling iPhone games of 2009 were largely from big gaming companies like EA and Gameloft. Four of the top five were from Electronic Arts alone, including the Sims and Madden NFL.
This year, the most popular free apps on the iPhone games were developed inside small gaming companies: Angry Birds was the clear winner: It was the only app that appeared on the iTunes Rewind free and paid lists. The game was developed by Finland-based Rovio, and its distributor Chillingo was bought by Electronic Arts in October, so EA sort of bought its way onto the Rewind list this year.
Following Angry Birds were Lima Sky’s Doodle Jump and Freeverse’s Skee-Ball. Nine of the top ten selling games cost 99 cents, suggesting that the lower-cost apps are delivering on high volumes.
As for top-grossing apps, the list was led by MLB.com’s At Bat 2010, boosted by a substantial upgrade to the features in the app this year. In 2009, turn-by-turn navigation apps were well represented – MobileNavigator North America was the top grosser last year – but this year only Tom Tom USA ranked in the top ten, taking the No. 7 spot.
Also interesting to note was that games didn’t dominate the lists of top iPad apps. Angry Birds HD and Pinball HD were popular, but it seems more people were using productivity apps like Apple’s Pages and Numbers, or media apps like Netflix, Pandora Radio and Kindle. Perhaps the iPad isn’t yet emerging as the killer gaming platform that it first appeared to be.
It’s worthwhile noting what isn’t represented so strongly on the iPhone and iPad lists: location apps and augmented reality, for example – two areas that were expected to be big drivers of app downloads in 2010. Popular apps like Facebook – the iPhones most popular free app in 2010 – use location as a feature, but it’s surprising that apps like Foursquare didn’t make any of the lists.
GlobalMedia-Gaming giants differ on mobile, social games
Much of the buzz in gaming these days revolves around two small but fast-growing areas: social games and mobile ones played on smartphones. But two titans of the video game industry have decidedly different takes on those markets.
There are already tens of thousands of game apps available for the iPhone and competing Android smartphones, and tens of millions of people playing free games on Facebook.
Still, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick (pictured) sounded less than enthusiastic about those markets when he spoke to the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York on Tuesday. And that represented a stark contrast from what Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said just a day earlier
Kotick on apps: “We don’t view the App Store as a really big opportunity for dedicated games.”
On tablets: “I think it is a different device than a mobile device, but from a gaming perspective it is probably not a big opportunity for us just yet.”
On social: “I don’t think there is any question that people are playing Facebook games. The hours speak for themselves. But monetizing those hours is very different than just serving up free games… I think you will see a lot of investment there, continued investment there. But that is different. There is a different question, assessing it as a business opportunity. I think right now we don’t see an opportunity for us to participate in that market.”
Contrast that with the words of Riccitiello, who spent plenty of time in his summit appearance making the case that the future of gaming — the expansion of the customer base — would be fueled in part by mobile and social.
Apple hasn’t rejected Google Voice iPhone app after all
Apple, Google and AT&T all filed their responsesFriday to the FCC’s requestfor more information in the Google Voice app saga. The story line thus far has been trying to determine the reasons behind Apple’s decision to reject the iPhone app. Some blamed AT&T for the thumbs down, believing that the iPhone’s exclusive U.S. carrier feared the app would provide competition for voice services on the smartphone.
But Apple said AT&T played no role in the rejection. In fact, the iPhone maker said the Google Voice app hasn’t even been rejected.
“Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it,” Apple said in its response. “The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.”
Google, in its filing with the FCC, chose to keep confidential Apple’s explanation for rejecting — or rather, failing to approve — the app.
Apple also provided some interesting tidbits on the App Store, which is now stuffed with more than 65,000 applications just over a year after its launch. Apple said it has more than 40 full-time trained reviewers, and at least two different reviewers study each app. It said 95% of applications are approved within 14 days of being submitted.
It added: “We receive about 8,500 new applications and updates every week, and roughly 20% of them are not approved as originally submitted. In little more than a year, we have reviewed more than 200,000 applications and updates.”
I think that Apple’s explanation is reasonable. Google Voice aims to replace the ENTIRE user experience of the iPhone. Because the Google Voice would be used over WiFi networks AND cellular networks, you would literally never have to use Apple’s telephone system. With Skype and like apps, you can only make calls in the application while using WiFi, so when you are out of WiFi area, you still have to rely on Apple’s telephone system.
I still do wish that Apple would accept the Google Voice app, but until that day, I think that their explanation is reasonable.
Google Voice app rejected for iPhone
Apple has rejected Google’s application to place its nifty Google Voice phone call and voice mail app on the iPhone, the latest twist in the closely-watched relationship between the Silicon Valley giants.
In a statement, Google said it submitted its App Store application six weeks ago, but that Apple failed to approve it. Apple declined to comment.
In addition, GV Mobile — a third-party Google Voice iPhone app — has been removed from the App Store, accordingto developer Sean Kovacs. He said Apple informed him that his app duplicates iPhone features.
Google Voice was rolled out in March to the applause of many reviewers. Utilizing speech-recognition technology, Google Voice has a number of cool features, allowing users to store transcripts of voicemail messages in their email inbox and find a specific information within a phone message.
It can also be used to make low-priced international calls, and offers a single phone number that can route incoming calls to home, office and cell phones. Given that this might pose a threat to exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier AT&T, some say the telecom giant is behind the rejection. Others are laying the blame elsewhere.
There is a similar app on cydia that allows the use of Google Voice…
Independent app store hits its own milestone
While you may not have heard of GetJar — especially if you’re in the U.S. — the London-based outfit announced its own milestone Wednesday, as it passed the half-billion app download mark. Yes, GetJar is an app store, albeit one a bit less famous than Apple’s, which yesterday announced 1.5 billion app downloads in its first year of operation.
GetJar has been around since 2004. It features close to 50,000 applications — such as Google Maps and the Opera browser — and works on all major platforms. The company is backed by Accel Partners and says it’s profitable. It has around two dozen employees.
Chris Drury, VP of president product management for GetJar, said all the hype that has accompanied Apple’s App Store has benefited his company. “You see an ad for the Apple App Store on TV, if you’re like 98% of people you don’t have an iPhone, and GetJar is the only place you can go to get apps for everyone.”
The company is trying to spread the word about its service in the U.S., which is its third-largest market. There is of course plenty of competition out there in the app world, with new stores from BlackBerry, Google’s Android, Palm and Nokia.
Congrats to GetJar! 1.5 billion app downloads is ridiculous. I had no idea they were backed by Accell Partners. Perhaps because they’re based in the UK, and not the US?
Great find! Thanks!
Updated-Apple boasts 1.5 billion App downloads
(Updated to reflect that Apple was referring to application downloads, not application sales. Many iPhone apps are free.) Apple Inc impressed the tech world with the rapid take off of its applications store, announcing on April 24th that it had sold 1 billion apps downloads in just 9 months to users of its iPhone and its iPod Touch.
That was just for starters. Now it says it has sold seen another half a billion apps downloaded in around a third of that time, showing that its growth is speeding up despite the fact that its rivals have all opened their own apps stores.
App developers appear to be taking notice too as Apple says it now has 65,000 apps available in its store ready for download to the 40 million iPod Touch and iPhone devices it has sold.
How will its rivals — Android from Google, BlackBerry from Rim, Windows Marketplace from Microsoft and Ovi from Nokia – ever get a break with that kind of competition?
But could it really be just a coincidence that Apple revealed its numbers on the same day that Techcruch notes Microsoft is expected to kick off its Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans with an announcement of the opening of its mobile app developmer program?
Keep an eye on:
- NY Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman describes an analyst’s prediction — that Rupert Murdoch could buy the paper instead of New York Times — as “total fiction” (DailyFinance)
- FT Tweets that it has an iPhone App (Techcruch)
- Michael Jackson family says concert plans were too much for him (Reuters)
- Netbook shipments to double this year (PCWorld)
Whether or not the downloaded apps were purchased or not, it still represents a significant phenomenon. Mike’s comment that 99% are free is far from the truth. Only about 25% are free. It could still be, of course, that the 25% represents 90-odd percent of the downloads.
Also, while a lot of apps get downloaded and tossed, I now have a core set of apps that I use pretty regularly. If you just use the phone to call and text, you shouldn’t be wasting cash on an iPhone. For me, it replaces a laptop for a lot of purposes.
Live blogging the Apple WWDC
Reuters is sending live updates via Twitter from the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference, scheduled to start at 10 am Pacific Time (1 pm Eastern). Read the updates below or follow us on Twitter.
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