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Print 12 comment(s) - last by SavagePotato.. on Jan 6 at 10:14 AM
"We see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon” -- Steve Jobs

Apple's App Store is continuing its domination of the smartphone/handheld application market. Apple today announced that the App Store -- which supports the iPhone and iPod touch -- has crossed the three billion downloads mark.

“Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months—this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”

Apple launched the App Store in July 2008 with 500 available apps -- within one week it had over 10 million downloads. Apple crossed the one billion downloads threshold in April 2009. The success of the Apple App Store has led to competitors from the likes of Palm, Google, RIM, and Microsoft.

There is also competition in the form of unofficial app stores for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touch like Cydia. Applications available on Cydia include a port of Google Voice (which was rejected by Apple), and numerous applications/tweaks that allow you do things from enabling tethering on your iPhone to allowing quick access to oft-used settings (a la SBSettings).

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Catching up in what sense?
By ipay on 1/5/2010 10:35:32 AM , Rating: 2
While iPhone users are paying for their apps, Android users are getting the majority of their apps for free.

I think it's only a matter of time until the shine wears off, and iPhone users figure out they are getting reamed twice; once for the AT&T network, and the second time for the apps.




RE: Catching up in what sense?
By vapore0n on 1/5/2010 10:54:29 AM , Rating: 3
Sounds like the Windows vs Linux argument. And yet Windows always wins. Adoption.

What really needs to happen is all cell phone manufactures to agree on a standard, a single market, a single SDK. But this isnt happening. Everyone wants a piece of the cake and all they are doing is a half ass attempt. Take for example Samsung, with 3 different phone SDKs.


By SavagePotato on 1/5/2010 12:51:07 PM , Rating: 2
Windows wins though because of certain factors like software compatibility, and polish that Linux despite strong efforts like Ubuntu cannot fully match no matter how much the fans might like.

With a phone handset, if it looks good, runs good, and it's apps are free, those are strong points to beat. There is no third party software to be concerned with.


RE: Catching up in what sense?
By psonice on 1/5/2010 11:50:56 AM , Rating: 2
There's tons of free iphone apps, but generally you have to pay for the better stuff.

I very much doubt that developers would decide to offer their work totally for free on a large scale just because it's android, so that implies that there's either a lack of good quality apps on android or people are choosing to go ad-supported.

For some stuff there's a good quality free app available (often the open source ones that get ported), but for most developers offering an app that will take weeks or more of work for nothing makes zero sense.


RE: Catching up in what sense?
By hiscross on 1/5/2010 11:52:18 AM , Rating: 2
This is not true. There are many many free apps available. Apple gets 30% revenue for paid apps, and nothing for the free ones. Let's see in 18 months how many RIM, WinMobile, and Google apps will be available.


RE: Catching up in what sense?
By kmmatney on 1/5/2010 1:10:38 PM , Rating: 2
Sounds like someone doesn't know what their talking about, or, as another user put it, has a case of sour grapes. Most of my iPhone apps are free, and most people I know with iPhones (my whole company is switching to it) mainly use free apps. I will occasionally pay ($0.99-$1.99) for an app if it proves useful, but rarely. I don't see the "shine" wearing off anytime soon.


ipay... sour grapes...
By queuetrip on 1/5/2010 10:54:36 AM , Rating: 2
wow, a self-loathing geek.

Sometime in your life you are going to want something that just works, because family pressures and the like are more important...




RE: ipay... sour grapes...
By SavagePotato on 1/5/2010 12:54:25 PM , Rating: 1
I have an ipod touch, after having to retrieve my music from it when I reloaded my computer, "just works" was not at all the phrase that came to mind.

Nor did it come to mind when I found what apples headphones think of sweat when wearing them while running.


RE: ipay... sour grapes...
By Phynaz on 1/5/2010 4:40:09 PM , Rating: 2
You wiped your computer and didn't back it up? And this is Apple's fault?


RE: ipay... sour grapes...
By SavagePotato on 1/5/2010 6:48:25 PM , Rating: 2
Actually I did, I didn't bother to back up my music since it was on itunes and since apple stuff is supposed to just work I falsely assumed that plugging my ipod in would sync it back up and that would be that.

Unfortunately just works in this case means find a 3rd party app and a pile of headaches when you find it only syncs one way.

Then there is their headphones that are not compatible with sweat even on the shuffle which you have to use the remote headphones with. Sure glad I didn't get a shuffle.


RE: ipay... sour grapes...
By afkrotch on 1/5/2010 9:51:16 PM , Rating: 2
I have a Zune and a Creative Zen X-Fi. Both have software to allow easy movement of music/vids/etc between the computer to the mp3 player or vice versa.

I don't use the Zune anymore, since it sounds like crap compared to the X-Fi. The X-Fi also doesn't require you to use the software. You can just go Windows drag-and-drop.


RE: ipay... sour grapes...
By SavagePotato on 1/6/2010 10:14:32 AM , Rating: 2
Exactly why It wouldn't even dawn on me that a product that "just works" would do what every other mp3 player I have owned does just like this.


"So, I think the same thing of the music industry. They can't say that they're losing money, you know what I'm saying. They just probably don't have the same surplus that they had." -- Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA











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