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Iphone Programming Software Apple

Apple's App Store Celebrates 10th Anniversary (betanews.com) 74

Posted by msmash from the reaching-big-milestones dept.
BrianFagioli writes: People sometimes forget that when the first-ever iPhone launched in 2007, there was no App Store. Believe it or not, Apple's smartphone was limited to the apps with which it came. In fact, Steve Jobs famously didn't want third-party apps on the iPhone at all. Ultimately, the App Store was added in 2008 despite Jobs' initial push against it. This move changed the computer industry forever.

This month, the Apple App Store reaches an impressive milestone -- its 10th Birthday. This day is important for three groups -- Apple (of course), but more importantly, consumers and developers. Apple has made billions of dollars from the App Store, but third party developers have as well -- the company has literally transformed some devs into millionaires. Consumers have benefited from high-quality applications too.

Regardless of your feelings about Apple, the world owes it a collective thank you for its App Store. It inspired other companies, such as Google with Android and Microsoft with Windows 8/10, to adopt the same app concepts. It really did change everything.
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Apple's App Store Celebrates 10th Anniversary More

Apple's App Store Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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  • Revisionist (Score:1, Troll)

    by Luthair ( 847766 )
    Not only is this revisionist, in that Apple is far from the first device or operating system to have its own app store, its also a terrible thing for users and developers.

    • Re:Revisionist (Score:5, Insightful)

      by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 ) on Thursday July 05, 2018 @04:24PM (#56898466)

      There's around 99.9999% of users out there that have zero clue how computers work. They need to be protected from themselves. Look at all the viruses, trojans, phishing and other crap that's going on. That shit exists because of those 99.9999% of users.

      For developers, it works as a place where everyone can find their software and is also a platform that makes payments much easier to deal with.

      So how exactly is it a terrible thing for users and developers?

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Octorian ( 14086 )

        Because it limits app distribution to only those apps the platform vendor approves of. They can and do disprove of apps for reasons other than "its malware."

        IMHO, providing an app store isn't a bad thing in and of itself. However, enforcing that all apps shall *only* be distributed via the platform vendor's app store is.

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 )

          There's no porn available at Disney World. That doesn't make Disney World a "terrible place".

          Sure it would be nice to have other options for iOS applications, but Apple decided that their platform works this way.

          You can decide to go somewhere else than Disney World, you can decide to buy another phone than iPhone.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Octorian ( 14086 )

            You're allowed to include Universal Studios or Seaworld in your Orlando vacation, if Disney World doesn't have something you want. Heck, you can even venture out a bit further and go to any 3rd rate attraction you like. The Disney corporation doesn't make you sign a form as you step off the gate at Orlando International Airport where you agree to only include Disney-approved properties in your vacation plans.

            There's a pretty good chance a restrictive platform vendor would exclude an application simply becau

            • You're allowed to include Universal Studios or Seaworld in your Orlando vacation, if Disney World doesn't have something you want.+/quote> And you are allowed to get your apps for iPhones in other ways. You just habe to really want to. The fact that you don't know them doesn't change that.

          • Disney World IS a terrible place. I have been there. Not a single positive memory of the experience.

    • Re:Revisionist (Score:4, Insightful)

      by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 ) on Thursday July 05, 2018 @04:30PM (#56898518)

      Also, which part is "revisionist history"?

      " It inspired other companies, such as Google with Android and Microsoft with Windows 8/10, to adopt the same app concepts. It really did change everything."

      It doesn't say they were the first-ever to do something like this. All it says is that Apple inspired other companies to do it too. I'm pretty sure things like Steam and GoG aren't big enough on the radars of big companies to inspire them to copy their concepts.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Luthair ( 847766 )
        Microsoft had an app store in 2004.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      True, Ubuntu had an "app store". Almost every GNU+Linux Distro had an "app store" called a "software repository".

      However, it's a BADASS thing when done right, like on GNU+Linux distros. The difference is that users of GNU+Linux can add their own software repositories so they're not limited by the shit the OS supplier decides to accept on their platform.

      "App Stores" are not evil, but can be used for evil if they are limited to a "Walled Garden" (which is the word you're looking for, not "app store").

    • Not only is this revisionist, in that Apple is far from the first device or operating system to have its own app store, its also a terrible thing for users and developers.

      Well, unless you can point to you saying the same thing about such a store before the App Store - cool story Bro.

  • >> world owes it a collective thank you for its App Store

    And a bigger "thank you" for jailbreaking. App stores are for luddites.
  • many Apps, especially on iOS are not that "quality", and also assuming software was already sold before, Apple managed to snitch in an extra 30% of all software sales, effectively taking from what developer would have earned anyway. Plus preventing some Apps, competition, as well as still not having a clear update path, except creating a new v2 app, or charging for subscription, ...

    • I agree on all point, except for the part "effectively taking from what developer would have earned anyway". Most people wouldn't have found their application on the Apple App store and thus would have bought something else instead, so no earnings for the developer not on the App store.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by ReneR ( 1057034 )
        Apple and the AppStore are doing zero marketing, actually instead they now want more money for their integrated app promotion ad business. Developers have to do their own marketing, Actually AppStore visible became worse, with all the repetitive junk and scamware overloading it anyway :-/

    • As for the 30% that Apple takes, keep in mind they're managing the servers, the storage and internet costs for transfers and update, the payments, etc. They're also footing the bill for all the free apps in the store.

      How much would developers lose from PayPal or credit cards? Deduce that percentage from Apple's 30% and you'll have a better picture of Apple's share.

      Hint: it's not 0% but it sure isn't 30% either.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ReneR ( 1057034 )
        we have to run our own servers anyway, still do, any happily so. much more pleasant to deal with than apple's notorious monthly changes, ABI validation, forcing new xcode version, outages, hiccups, missing binaries, you name it. We otherwise mainly use PayPal which takes a maximum of ~6%, usually less ~3% (depending on country, and money source, e.g. CC vs. PayPal balance, etc, )

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tepples ( 727027 )

          How much does PayPal take out of a 99 cent purchase? My research says 33 cents, which is a slightly greater share (1/3) than Apple's.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by ReneR ( 1057034 )
            I was not talking micro transactions. our Apps cost 19, 29, 79, 99 $. Even for 99cent your example comes up with nearly the same value as Apple, and PayPal has some micro transaction tier that might be more attractive.

  • Quantity over Quality (Score:3)

    by UnknownSoldier ( 67820 ) on Thursday July 05, 2018 @04:52PM (#56898650)

    While I can appreciate the quantity of apps on the App Store it seems somewhere along the lines we lost quality.
    i.e.
    I don't care all the Free-to-Play (F2P) race-to-the-bottom-of-the-barrel with shitty Micro-Transactions (MTX) and Hurry-Up-and-Wait gaming.

    At least we still have SOME good games left like:

    * Fortnite [apple.com] (only has cosmetic MTX)
    * Hocus [apple.com]
    * The Room [apple.com]
    * The Witness [apple.com]

    etc.

  • Regardless of your feelings about Apple, the world owes it a collective thank you for its App Store. It inspired other companies, such as Google with Android and Microsoft with Windows 8/10, to adopt the same app concepts. It really did change everything.

    Uh, there were "apps" (we used to call them programs) on Windows CE, Symbian, and Blackberry well before 2008. And there were STORES too, where you could buy those programs. Apple simply made it Kindergarten-level difficult for consumers and sold lock-down and restrictions as a benefit, rather than a curse.

    • Regardless of your feelings about Apple, the world owes it a collective thank you for its App Store. It inspired other companies, such as Google with Android and Microsoft with Windows 8/10, to adopt the same app concepts. It really did change everything.

      Uh, there were "apps" (we used to call them programs) on Windows CE, Symbian, and Blackberry well before 2008.

      Oh yeah. I remember apps for Windows CE. I once drove (literally) to an App Store where my dad bought an Windows CE app. He had to specify which CPU and display orientation his device had, and then they handed him a box with a storage card inside, and he paid over a hundred bucks for it. Oh, the good old days.

  • Er, OK; thanks for the walled gardens, especially on Windows. It sure was terrible having control of our own machines (I'm sure that loophole will be closed soon on desktops thanks to how inspiring this all is).

    (Yes, I know, Grandma should root her devices, sideload, etc. so I should shut up.)

  • Amazing it still took off without that key feature. Youtube was already huge at that point. Many competitors' phones did record video.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      It took a while, because they were still exhausted from inventing rounded corners

  • Just because the App store is 10 years old doesn't make it a milestone. A Milestone is an achievement or progress or a checkpoint. Making it to 10 years in it's own walled garden ecosystem where it's own policies dictates its existence is not a milestone.

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