Roughly half a dozen new mobile operating systems will come to market over the next 6 to 12 months. Many of these look to be more sophisticated than the older ones controlled by Apple and Google, for whom serious competition could be just around the corner. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple announced a big milestone in app downloads on Wednesday, the same day that Google’s I/O developer conference kicked off in San Francisco. The app store has now seen 50 million downloads so far. Read more »
iTunes’ increasingly good quarterly sales demonstrates how the long-rumored Apple video and “iRadio” subscription services the company has over the years tried to bring to fruition could become significant revenue sources. Read more »
The mobile platform wars escalated once again in the first quarter of 2012 as BlackBerry finally took the wraps off its much-anticipated new operating system. Meanwhile Android continued to build on its dominance both worldwide and in the U.S., cementing a two-horse race with Apple. Read more »
In the slicing-up of the mobile content pie, carriers have been left out over the last few years. But, according to a new analyst report, that situation’s starting to change. Read more »
The console era is over — or so a growing number of game-industry executives would have us believe. While social and mobile gaming have taken a sizable share of the video games market, there is room for growth for hardware, particularly in streaming technology and the emergence of open-source platforms. Read more »
A batch of rejections from Apple’s App Store had some reports wondering if Apple has begun forcing developers to use a new for tracking mobile app users. It hasn’t, according to our sources. Read more »
Comcast has created an app store for small business customers to resell cloud storage, security and collaboration products from vendors that include Box, YouSendIt and Microsoft. Read more »
Apple already has a problem consistently enforcing App Store rules across an ecosystem of 800,000 apps. But it seems even more complicated when partners are involved. Read more »
It’s always a risk building on top of another technology platform, although building on Facebook’s API has obvious benefits when you’re starting out. But if you pick that route? Be sure to note how quickly the company is changing. Read more »
After early reports that Apple removed the popular photography app without much notice, Apple says it had to after receiving complaints of possible child pornography. 500px disputes the claim. Read more »
BlackBerry App World is becoming simply BlackBerry World as RIM prepares to revamp its mobile storefront. In addition to apps and games, RIM will be selling multimedia. Read more »
Apple’s biggest competitors — Facebook, Google and Amazon — are getting really good at finding ways to systematically insert themselves between Apple and its customers. Read more »
Apple releases iOS app sales stats from a pretty impressive holiday sales month. Plus, the company gives a broader status update about the health of its App Store: there are now 775,000 apps for sale for iOS devices. Read more »
In the last six months, revenues from Android apps in Japan have grown by a factor of 4.5, putting Japanese revenues from Android higher than the U.S., the first time the U.S. has not been in the lead. Revenues outside those two countries are growing too. Read more »
Mobile app discovery service Appsfire is hoping its update to 4.0 will create the ultimate app discovery engine for users. It combines Appsfire’s previous discovery app with its Appsfire Deals app, which displayed apps that were free or on sale. Read more »
Developers are frustrated by changes caused by the update to App Store with iOS 6. That release, which incorporated changes from Apple’s acquisition of Chomp, was supposed to help users find apps they’d like, and surface higher-quality apps. In many cases, it’s simply causing confusion. Read more »
Financial giant Bloomberg has opened an app store in which it wil take 30 percent of revenue. The move is significant because it is the first time the tightly-controlled company is opening up its rich pools of data to outside developers. Read more at paidContent »
Apple’s iOS App Store has introduced a significant rule change: no more apps that promote third-party apps that look too much like Apple’s own App Store. But Apple may not be targeting quality app recommendation services as much as cheap knock-offs and pay-per-install marketing campaigns. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: fixing a major Verizon iPhone 5 bug, the enormous task of improving Maps, decrease in work hours for Apple suppliers, App Store changes in iOS 6, and more. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Apple is targeting Google Maps developers for help with its maps app, iPhone 5 stock, games could be harder to find in iOS 6 App Store, and more. Read more »
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Most developers underestimate how hard it is to be successful in Apple’s App Store. And even if Apple improves things, it’s not going to be enough. Ouriel Ohayon, cofounder of Appsfire, looks at why this problem is so hard to solve. Read more »
The new site should be helpful to owners of websites, brands, music or images whose content is being used without permission in apps to directly and easily contact Apple. But it’s especially useful for developers, whose apps or games are sometimes cloned outright. Read more »
After months with a sub-par user experience, the Google Play store is gaining needed improvements. Application updates comprised of just changed code now helps limit mobile broadband use while gift cards and wishlists are coming soon, per the latest version of Google Play. Read more »
App discovery is one of the biggest challenges that faces iOS developers today. The acquisition is part of Appsfire’s mission to help developers and those in the mobile business understand the trends surrounding Apple’s gargantuan mobile app store, which now counts over 650,000 apps. Read more »
Apple is doubling down on efforts to protect the term “app store” at a time when it feels increasingly threatened by Amazon’s push into the app and mobile market. Amazon’s Appstore for Android is much smaller than Apple’s App Store but it brings in good revenue. Read more »
Operating on the theory that there are better ways to find great iOS apps than skimming the “top downloaded” lists on the App Store, Appsfire has published its first-ever alternative rankings that highlight the best apps, not just the ones with the highest download count. Read more »
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
An issue that caused the App Store to send out buggy app updates to iOS users has been identified and fixed. Late Thursday Apple issued a statement saying it found there was a snafu with DRM code from one of its servers. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: the growing demand for high-definition touchscreens, the crackdown on App Store marketing, Apple doesn’t get HTC smartphones blocked by the ITC, a lost Steve Jobs interview hits iTunes. Read more »
Mobile apps may not be shipped on galleons or via airfreight, but they are definitely crossing oceans. According to data from VisionMobile’s recent developer survey, a big market around the import and export of apps has emerged globally. Read more »
The iPhone kicked off the mobile data revolution. The astonishing thing is Apple succeeded where the rest of the wireless industry had failed. Carriers, network vendors, handset makers and OS developers had the same vision as Steve Jobs and Apple. They just failed to execute it. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: how Apple’s future depends on China, pay raises for retail workers, fined for false advertising in Australia, and 32 new countries get access to the App Store. Read more »
Igor Zhadanov, 27, is CEO of Ukraine-based Readdle, known for iPad and iPhone apps like PDF Expert and Scanner Pro. As Readdle is about to open its first U.S. office, we talked about staying independent, competing with larger companies, and the challenges of today’s App Store. Read more »
The Kobo Vox tablet now comes preloaded with the Google Play app. Current Kobo Vox owners will see the app the next time their device updates. Separately, Books on Google Play is launching in Germany. Read more at paidContent »
In the version of iOS 6 set to arrive this fall, Apple has redesigned its App Store app. Apple bought discovery service Chomp in February for a reported $50 million, but it’s not clear yet how much improved search and discovery is in the new app. Read more »
Roambi is becoming a tool for more than creating cool, interactive data visualizations or real-time business intelligence reports your boss or colleagues will read on their iPad. Now Roambi is aiming to be a mobile app development/ publishing service with a new feature called ESX Platform. Read more »
Apple continues to introduce features to its app stores meant to better surface quality apps. It recently introduced two more, including a new Editor’s Choice label and a free app of the week. But it’s clear more needs to be done. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web. Today’s installment: Possible peace in the European SIM card standard battle, Steve Jobs’ dream of the iCar, state of the App Store near its fourth birthday, and more details about Jobs’ biopic. Read more »
