app store

Report: Google Maps for iOS coming out 'tonight'

An official Google Maps app is coming back to iOS as soon as tonight, according to a new report.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, All Things Digital says Google plans to release the software on the App Store tonight.

Apple declined to comment. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report, which does not specify what features the software will bring, comes about a month after Google was reportedly in the "near final" testing stages of prepping the software for Apple's platform.

Google provided maps to iOS devices until the release of … Read more

Microsoft, Apple in battle over App Store fees -- report

Microsoft and Apple are fighting a behind-the-scenes battle over App Store revenue sharing, The Next Web reports.

Apple is currently blocking any Microsoft SkyDrive updates in its App Store until the software giant agrees to share revenue generated through its application, the site reports, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the disagreement.

Microsoft currently offers its SkyDrive storage app to iOS users. The company rolled out the ability for users to purchase more storage from within the application. However, upon doing so, Microsoft decided that it wouldn't share 30 percent of the revenue generated through those transactions … Read more

Top 25 developers make half of all U.S. mobile app revenue

There might be hundreds of thousands of apps in your favorite mobile marketplace, but chances are, few developers there are actually making serious cash.

During the first 20 days of November, just 25 developers, including Rovio, Zynga, Electronic Arts, and Disney, generated half of all mobile app revenue earned, research firm Canalys discovered in a study announced yesterday. The companies pulled in a combined $60 million in the U.S. from paid downloads and in-app purchases. The remaining $60 million was earned by all other developers.

Canalys analyzed both the App Store and Google's Play marketplace. Although other app … Read more

iOS app revenues four times higher than Google Play

Apple's iOS platform generates four times as much revenue as Google's app store, Google Play, according to a new study.

In its first research report (PDF), App Annie Intelligence, an app analytics company, reported that Apple is pulling in four times as much revenue from iOS sales as Google does from sales of apps for the Android platform.

However, the study, reported on by The Next Web, also suggested that Apple's App Store is a far more mature business than Google Play -- and has less upside over time. According to the App Annie report, Google Play … Read more

Vimeo launches 'reimagined' free iPhone app

Video-sharing service Vimeo has launched a new iPhone application that has been built from the ground up.

The company's redesigned application, which hit the Apple App Store today, allows users to both create and share videos all from within the app. In addition, users will now find easier access to their video queue and simpler navigation. " In a company blog post, Joseph Schmitt, lead developer at Vimeo, touted the "reimagined iPhone app" as "awesomer, sleeker, more beautiful, way awesomer, and also much more awesomer than ever before."

It appears that Vimeo's focus with … Read more

Best Buy trims prices on iTunes gift cards

Holiday shoppers looking for iTunes gift cards can save a bit of change via Best Buy.

The retail outlet is offering 15 percent off the full cost of cards ranging in price from $15 to $100. So a $15 card will cost you $12.75, a $25 card $21.25, a $50 card $42.50, and a $100 card $85. A 3-pack of $10 iTunes gift cards will run you $25.50.

Beyond opting for an iTunes card, you can choose an App Store card or a iBookstore card, giving you the full gamut of Apple's offerings for iOS … Read more

Apple approves 1 millionth iOS app, tracker says

Apple has approved 1 million iOS apps, according to an application discovery company.

Appsfire revealed the findings on its Twitter account yesterday. In an e-mailed statement to CNET, an Appsfire spokesperson said that its tally includes all of the apps "that have been submitted and approved by Apple and that went live in the App Store" since its launch in 2008. The spokesperson was quick to point out that the tally does not include those apps that have been submitted and rejected.

The Next Web was first to report on the Appsfire tally.

Apple announced last month that … Read more

Apple reportedly bans 'memory' games from App Store

Apple is reportedly warning developers of iOS games with the word "memory" in the title that unless they change their app's name, it will be removed from the Apple Store.

The notices are being sent at the behest of Ravensburger, a German game maker that sells a popular series of board games under the brand "Memory" and claims to hold the trademark for the word "memory" in game titles in some 42 countries, according to a report in Gamasutra.

Darren Murtha, developer of the popular Preschool Memory Match, told Gamasutra he was too … Read more

Skype preview for Windows Phone 8 now in-store

Microsoft's Skype for Windows Phone 8, an app tweaked for use with the new operating system, is now available to download as a preview.

The popular VoIP program, which facilitates video and messaging across the Internet for free, has now been spotted in the Windows Phone store. You cannot search for it in the usual method, but as reported by WP Central, the link is now available for those considering a shift to a Windows 8 mobile device.

The free 8MB download is a preview release, and as Microsoft says, "experiences are not final." Some popular features, … Read more