![]() ![]() ![]() With a centralized app store, users not only get a single source for app discovery and billing, but they also get a one-stop shop for app updates. On the Mac, only software from the App Store will be able to use iCloud for syncing data between devices. Developers who skip the store won’t be able to take advantage of Windows 8’s unique features, such as side-by-side apps, universal in-app search, or the charms bar for sharing content. Microsoft’s Windows Store, for example, will be the only place for users to find Metro-style apps. Unlike with most mobile app stores, developers and their users have an alternative on the desktop: They can release their apps for direct download via the Internet, and bypass restrictive app stores entirely.īut going direct has its own drawbacks. “And that becomes quite challenging for us to get all the different plug-ins to work, because we need to talk to third-party software.” Instead of focusing on search engine optimization, software makers must now think about app-store optimization to get themselves noticed.Īrnstein Teigene“This most recent submission, we’ve had some issues, and that’s because going toward a stricter process where they’re sandboxing all their apps,” says Arnstein Teigene, a product manager for the Opera Web browser, whose latest version has yet to receive Apple’s approval. The difference now, Foreman says, is that the ecosystems are in the hands of a few key players–Apple, Google, and Microsoft–so app developers have a better chance to get discovered. Now we’ve moved back to an app-based world.” “We used to live in a world of applications … and the world told us all, stop downloading apps, because you can get viruses and stuff, and we all moved to the Web,” Foreman says. In the past, the company has licensed its traffic data to Web-based services such as MapQuest but with Windows 8, Inrix will launch its first native app for desktops to help people avoid congestion before they get in the car. Kevin Foreman, vice president of consumer and mobile applications for Inrix, wants to capitalize on the shift away from the Web. ![]() “We had a thesis that people did not want to install software that the cloud meant that people could use a browser to interact with software and would never have to install anything. Only 4 percent of the top-grossing Mac apps are freemium, versus 50 percent for mobile app stores. The term “freemium” is a bit of jargon that refers to a free app that entices you to fork over money to unlock more features through in-app purchases. While the “freemium” business model has flourished on iOS, Mac developers selling their goods on the Mac App Store haven’t embraced the freemium trend for sales. The Mac App Store is the desktop equivalent of the wildly popular App Store for iOS devices, which aims to simplify the way Mac users discover and purchase applications for their computers. That’s about $20 more than the average price for the top 100 iPhone apps. Among the top 100 Mac App Store applications, the average selling price is $22.54, according to market research firm Distimo. On the Mac laptop and desktop, users are willing to pay more for great software. Mac App Store logoSo far, Taylor’s instincts seem to be correct. Going in and out of five apps on your smartphone or tablet to accomplish one task, such as editing an image or updating a spreadsheet, just doesn’t appear to be all that great of an experience, Taylor says. “I think it’s going to make sense from a user standpoint to have a more seamless experience,” Taylor says. More-capable devices, with more-powerful microprocessors and memory, he says, will lead to more-capable apps. Bill Taylor, a product manager for voice-recognition software firm Nuance Communications, believes that the small scale and limited functions of smartphone apps are a byproduct of technical limitations, such as weak processors and low storage capacities on early handsets. ![]()
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