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 »
In the five years since the iPhone hit the market, Apple and Google have delivered more than 40 billion cumulative downloads of apps. Other sources predict the app marketplace will swell to surpass 66 billion downloads in 2016, a growth fueled by tablet, entertainment, and enterprise apps. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With the adoption of iPads, tablets and smartphones into our work flow instead of just sitting at a laptop computer here are five categories of apps positioned well for becoming a fundamental part of our day to day work environment in this mobile era. Read more »
Amazon is taking its Appstore for Android abroad for the first time, launching it in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The move was expected, and its eems to pave the way for an international launch of the Kindle Fire. Read more »
Personalized tablet magazine Zite is releasing a large upgrade to its Android app Tuesday afternoon. Among the changes: The end of support for large-screen Android tablets, enhanced sharing options and bug fixes. Read more at paidContent »
Twitter seems to be at a crossroads, and according to a recent GigaOM survey, its prospects for the next five years are promising. Key challenges in the near future will be establishing a revenue model and survive the backlash from developers. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
FlightTrack Free is not replacing the popular, paid FlightTrack or FlightTrack Pro apps. It’s a separate, scaled-down version of FlightTrack with a redesigned interface. Mobiata, FlightTrack’s creator, plans eventually to add in-app purchase options. Read more »
Nuance is offering up a new SDK that will allow big consumer-facing companies to embed virtual voice assistants directly into their mobile apps. Called Nina, the software is intended to cut through app clutter and allow customers to accomplish complex transactions through simple speech commands Read more »
Miss Nev (as in “never miss a package”), the winning hack of Dwolla and Etsy’s eCommerce Hack Day in New York, plans to launch a platform that lets local businesses receive packages for customers in exchange for purchases or payment. 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 »
In a world stuffed with big social networks, can a social app specifically for art lovers make an impact? ArtSpotter founder Raphaëlle Heaf thinks so — and she’s relaunching her iPhone-based service to try and prove a point. Read more »
Barnes & Noble is skipping out on Google Maps for tablets and is partnering instead with Berlin-based mobile map company skobbler. skobbler’s ForeverMap 2 app is available in the Nook store today, and Nook will open up to location-based app developers later this year. Read more at paidContent »
The same kind of criticism levelled at the photo-sharing service Instagram — that it ruins photography, or makes it cheap and shallow — has been made about other forms of media, including blogging, citizen journalism and Twitter. And in each case the critics have been wrong. Read more »
Develop apps for smartphones, tablets or TVs? Take our survey: we’d like to hear more about what you’re working on, what screens and platforms you develop for, how you monetize your work, as well as what categories of apps. Read more »
Apple is investigating a workaround that lets iOS users get in-app purchase content for free. This weekend it used a variety of legal channels to try to resolve the security breach, including taking down the demonstration video on YouTube and getting PayPal to block donations. Read more »
On Thursday the team behind Jetpac plans to announce it has raised a $2.4 million Series A round of funding for its iPad app that lets you use your friends’ travel photos to search for vacation destination or just fuel your own wanderlust. Read more »
Rovio has finally released its next title after the smash hit Angry Birds — a physics puzzler called Amazing Alex that reworks an existing iPhone game with a few little extra touches. Will the Finnish company prove it’s not a one hit wonder? Read more »
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 »
You’ve got snacks, playlists and a full gas tank. But what about apps? Assuming you’ve also packed your iPhone, here are 25 that will ensure an easier trip — for packing, finding the cheapest gas and the closest Wi-Fi, knowing the weather on your route and more. Read more »
Swedish startup 13th Lab has just raised $700,000 from Nordic investors Creandum to help build its augmented reality browser and developer tools for iOS. But forget about tacky versions of AR: this team is trying to build a real interface between the digital and the physical. Read more »
No longer buried under menus in the Music app, Apple has created a standalone place to keep your podcasts: in an iOS app called, you guessed it, Podcasts. It’s free and is available now. It adds its own Top Stations, Top Charts and a sleep timer. Read more »
Platform as a Service has a bright future but one of the big concerns is vendor lock-in, preventing companies from making their applications portable. That’s going to be one of the big challenges for PaaS to grow. Read more »
How timely: right as we seem to be reopening the debate over whether or not the iPad is a consumption or creation tool, Martha Stewart, the high priestess of crafty creativity, debuts a brand new iPad app called CraftStudio. Read more »
Nailing the mobile experience is essential for online travel services. Orbitz’s new free app aims to make it much easier for leisure travelers to do trip research and book hotel, airfare and rental cars all within one app without going to a mobile website. Read more »
Creativity apps on Apple’s iOS platform aren’t just a consumer fad — investors want in too. Snapguide, an iPhone app that lets anyone create an easy how-to guide with their phone, snapped up a $5 million investment round earlier this month. 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 »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Steve Jobs’ gives Obama’s campaign social media advice, Apple’s new “free” websites, updated security permissions in iOS 6 and slightly creepy geo-fencing features in Find My Friends. Read more »
The distinctive three-dimensional globe is giving way to a new three-edition iPad app strategy for ABC News. The new version relies not on ideas about what iPad users might want — as was the case when it first launched in July 2010 — but on nearly two years of usage. Read more at paidContent »
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 »
Here’s our daily pick of Apple stories from around the web you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: The teardown of the new Retina Display MacBook Pro, how the mobile app market is like the early music industry, App Store downloads, and another roadblock in Apple v. Samsung. Read more »
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 »
The campaign for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will spend big dollars this summer to deliver ads to voters’ iPhones and iPads, a move that could pep up sluggish demand for mobile ads. Read more »
Apple may be working a system to replace UDID use across iOS apps. The Wall Street Journal says a new tool for helping Apple’s mobile app makers track the behavior of their customers could be rolled out “in the next few weeks.” Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Samsung’s new CEO, Apple asks a judge to block the import of the latest Samsung Galaxy, Apple’s contribution to Google revenue, iOS’s popularity among mobile developers, and more. Read more »
User engagement can be a very slippery statistic. Although sites and apps like to talk about how fast their unique visitors are growing, it’s more important to know how many of those users are actually using the site regularly. Read more »
The last-minute hotel booking app has secured a $23 million Series C funding round from U.S. Venture Partners. Hotel Tonight plans to use the money to bring its iOS and Android app to more cities outside the U.S., and add more last-minute destinations at home. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: How Facebook is reminiscent of Palm, phones shipped versus phones sold, how doctors are using the iPad, and another clue that Apple is redesigning its mobile maps. Read more »
The founders of micro-payment service Flattr have said they are worried that their business could be seriously damaged after Apple rejected a podcasting app that integrated with the system. Read more »
There has been a growing revolt in the publishing community against the idea that iPhone and iPad apps are the best route to digital dollars. The Financial Times shuttered its apps this month while a popular essay by another publisher lamented that apps were a “collective delusion” and an expensive failure. Read more at paidContent »
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 »
