148 Apps on Facebook 148 Apps on Twitter

Tag: AppStore »

1000 Apps Pulled From App Store

Posted by Ryan Filsinger on December 9th, 2009

Wired Magazine is reporting that the company Molinker, best known for being essentially a copycat developer who at their peak had 1000 applications submitted and approved on the App Store have been recently been removed. It appears that this removal was mostly based on the developer gaming the review system by giving away free application codes in response for 5 star reviews. The most interesting thing of all is, is the one line in the article that discusses the fact that one of this company's apps showed up in the "Staff Favorites" list which until now I honestly thought was chosen by people who worked at Apple. This opens up a can of worms in terms of how those selections are actually made, and should be investigated more.

On one hand I'm glad they decided to remove the offending company and their spamware, but on the other hand it brings out some glaring issues in the setup of the App Store. Since the launch of the App Store, there have been quite a few complaints about the approval process, the amount of spam apps that get on, and the general needle in a haystack feel that some developers are gripping with. I would love to see Apple find a way to help quality apps find their way out of the grime and for there to be a leveling playing field for everyone, but I sadly think that that day is a ways away.

On one hand I commend Apple for taking action on what essentially is a 1% cut of all their applications on the store, on the other hand, when there are 100,000 apps in the App Store, the store is going to get gamed and it shouldn't be up to other developers to report on people. It should be interesting to see what kind of precedence this sets for future developers and people abusing the appstore system.

100,000 apps and growing pains.

Posted by Ryan Filsinger on October 30th, 2009

On November 28th 2008 Apple hit a landmark for their iPhone App Store. They reached 10,000 approved applications for their device. Less then a year later, Apple has hit another landmark in approving their 100,000th app. This number is mind boggling when you think about the amount of development man hours that have gone into it.

Recently I've read some other saddening numbers in that some developers are seeing piracy rates of upwards of 90% on their applications. I firmly believe that Apple's recent move to allow developers to sell in game purchases in their free apps is a direct response to the massive pirating we see going on. If developers, publishers, startups and the like are going to make money consistently on the device in a complete sea of pirates and the race to $0.99 they are going to do start thinking and doing things completely differently. A lot of people are starting to expect a lot of game for almost no money. The problem is very few companies can exist by merely selling their app for such a low price, but then you'll almost never get noticed if you price yourself higher. It is definitely a catch 22 for many devs. What I see happening in this space is that the devs who take the model of giving their game away for free and then convincing me to go farther by spending $0.99 or $1.99 will more likely succeed. The other approach is to lock people out of the game based on a timed events similar to how iMob does it. There may even be a 3rd or 4th solution to this problem that has yet to emerge.

This flood of apps will not stop, and some analysts are saying that we'll see 250,000 applications by this time next year and that number may even be low if we look at the growth pattern over the last year and half. Crazy as it sounds, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg that will be the app store. Everyone will be developing stuff for the iPhone. At some point, Apple will be changing it's slogan to "There are 100 apps for that" as extreme over saturation hits in all areas. Even Adobe is releasing a Flash game converter that allows you to make your Flash game into an app and with that every Flash game will get converted in no time.

How Has the App Store Changed Your Mobile Usage?

Posted by Jeff Scott on July 11th, 2009

Today, July 11th, 2009, we celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the iTunes App Store. As of today the app store contains over 56,801 apps and has hosted well over a billion app downloads. I asked some of our writers to look back over the year and discuss how the app store and iPhone apps in general, had changed their mobile usage and their lives.

Read on for our thoughts, screen shots of our home screens, and our favorite apps.

Announcing Our New Sister Site - 148Apps.biz

Posted by Jeff Scott on May 19th, 2009

At 148Apps, we pride ourselves at providing the best coverage of the App Store through our reviews, news, and editorial pieces. We're here to give you the information you need about an app before you make a purchase and to keep you up to date on the latest happenings in the iPhone community. But there are two sides to the iPhone community that we could be assisting instead of just treating it as one single entity.

There are over 11,700 iPhone app publishers in the market right now, all vying for the chance to make their app the next big success. Each publisher could represent one individual making their own app, or a full team working on a string of applications. Beyond development, there's also the marketing, financing, and customer support aspects that all need to be addressed by the developers. And that's the beauty of the App Store, anyone can wear those hats as long as they've got the drive to do so.

But where do they get their information? Who do they learn from? What resources are made available to those willing to enter into the App Store? For $99 Apple will give you the tools and access to make an app, we want to give you the tools to make a business out of it. After all, everyone benefits from a stronger community.

Enter 148Apps.biz

Where 148Apps.com is more tailored toward consumers looking for apps for their own device, 148Apps.biz is a resource for everyone connected with the creation of iPhone apps. And to truly make 148Apps.biz a community resource, we've invited all reaches of the iPhone community to contribute to our site, to make it the strongest and most robust iPhone business resource available. 148Apps.biz is for the community, by the community.

On top of providing that outlet for those well versed in their area of the iPhone app process to speak their mind and provide valuable insight, we'll also be providing the most accurate App Store Metrics available anywhere on the web. In depth info on what is in the app store, invaluable intelligence for iPhone app development.

If you're involved in iPhone app development and interested in sharing your knowledge and resources with the rest of the community, we invite you to check out our Submit An Article page over at 148Apps.biz. We're looking to you to help make the community a stronger, better place, where those new to the scene and those already experienced have access to the tools and knowledge that will help them make the best apps possible.

So take a look at 148Apps.biz and let us know what you think. After all, it is your site!

App Store Insider: Corey Johnson

Posted by Tom Hesser on February 3rd, 2009

This is the start of a new series here on 148Apps. A series where we interview people from all areas of the app development process. From developers, to designers, even management. Looking to help others gain insight into what works, and what doesn't work in app development and sales. - Editor



App Store Insider: Corey Johnson, Probably Interactive

Website: http://probablyinteractive.com

Contact: contact <at> probablyinteractive.com

Bio: Programming professionally since 2000, unprofessionally since I got a used Commodore PET in 1987. Sports a striking beard. Happily married.

Work Status: Self-Employed, Available for contract work

Favorite apps:
Tweetie, Rolando, NetNewsWire, Wiki Tap, and Streaks




Interview with Corey Johnson: [audio:http://www.148apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/CoreyJohnson.mp3]
To listen to the audio interview, click the play triangle above.
To download the .MP3, right click and choose "Save Link As...".

Corey tells us how he made the transition to developing for the iPhone, and tells some stories about the pitfalls of working within Apple's strict guidelines. Overall he has been enjoying the experience, and relates that Apple's tools and services for developers keeps getting better. Corey comments that Apple still has a ways to go toward helping the programmers communicate with their users and get useful feedback.

Lastly, he tells us about some of the apps he has in the AppStore and how he came to create them. His app, Movie Brain, required some lateral thinking to get his app to be a self-contained, searchable database of all movies. He also introduces a new app coming soon, just in time for Oscar season. The app is called "And The Award Goes To...Oscar Edition" and will be able to display past Oscar winners as well as the nominees for the upcoming Oscars. In addition, the app will allow you to cast votes for you favorite movies and compare them to the votes of other users of the app. Corey hopes this will be the basis for other interactive apps he has planned for later.

Links to all of Corey's apps are below. Let us know what you think of the interview and any feedback for Corey on the apps.

Enjoy!