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Sometimes a new app comes around and reinvents a genre. A few times (a very few times, actually) a new app arrives and reinvents everything you thought about a device. I’ve mentioned the “second wave of iPad apps” before: I think that a new generation of applications for Apple’s tablet is ready to invade the App Store to show everyone, not just its 3 million users, what the iPad was meant to be since the beginning.
I think that the second wave starts today with Flipboard.
You might have noticed this on other blogs earlier today: Apple approved an app called Handy Light, which was pretty similar to other flashlight apps on the App Store. Except for one little insignificant and absolutely unnoticeable detail for American users: it allowed tethering on the iPhone.
With AT&T. For free. Boom.
What are the exact numbers behind the App Store? And the Android marketplace, or Palm’s one? What’s the most downloaded paid app ever? And average app prices? Here’s a interesting “infographic” for you, courtesy of Online MBA.
“They have become a filter for out world. Through them we can access information, games, entire virtual worlds. Not the internet, nor our computers, not tablets or laptops – just little programs on our phones. Millions of little programs. What are the real numbers behind these programs, and why are there so many of them?”
The App Store is filling up with original section created by Apple every week, and we’ve recently noticed that this trend is growing - sometimes they even launch 2-3 section each week. Today’s one is good: Comics.
We covered iChatr two weeks ago. It was a simple application for the iPhone 4 that, just like Chatroulette on desktop computers, allowed you to video chat with random strangers - all the time. You have no contacts, no friends, you just see the face of another user and click next.
Well, when you see the face you must be lucky. Problem is, being Chatroulette completely anonymous, people started to inappropriately expose themselves. The same happened to iChatr.
There are so many apps in the App Store - can you remember when there was no App Store though? We all used to save webclips on our iPhone pages, Safari was the only way to let the iPhone see something new.Then the App Store launched and the rest is history. iFart. Pocket God. Weightbot. Tweetie. You know, apps changed our life.
But hey, there’s always place for creativity and I’m sure some developer out there is working in this exact moment on the app that will change the way we use our phone in the next months. That’s what’s great about the App Store - you don’t settle. There will always be room for a better app - one that didn’t even exist before.
That’s what David Pogue did with his latest NYT column: he asked for help to his followers in order to round-up great ideas for apps that don’t exist yet. It’s genius. Check out the most interesting ones after the break.
In these two years of App Store we’ve read many stories of indie developers making tons of bucks out of apps sales. Still, I’ve noticed a trend recently, and that’s why the news of Camera+ generating over $250.000 in revenue matters: if you look at the App Store Top Paid charts, you’ll see lots of games in there.
So the question is: is still possible to be successful in the App Store even without developing a game? Apparently, it is.
I haven’t seen any real talent on the Android Marketplace, which might explain why Microsoft is trolling Apple’s App Store, seeking out developers to “extend beyond your existing platforms and unto our new Windows Phone 7 platform.” I’d rather Microsoft prove to me they have a killer phone before enticing me to join Redmond’s army, but I suppose you should be at least flattered.
