Steve Jobs told USA Today that the Apple App Store will launch with "more than 500" applications Thursday night for the iPhone and iPod touch. Of these, 25% will be free and 90% (of those for sale) will cost $9.99 or less. "This is the biggest launch of my career," said Jobs. Analyst Tim Bajarin at Creative Strategies said, "When IBM introduced the PC, it was good, but it didn't take off until people started discovering the software." It's these apps then, he adds, that will "dramatically differentiates the iPhone" from Treos and BlackBerrys. Indeed, while consumers are focused on the launch of the iPhone 3G device, it's the App Store which has analysts in such a tizzy.
Update: The New York Times
reports that 1/3 of all first-wave applications will be games. We also corrected the Bajarin misquote above.
[Thanks, Matt and Chris Z.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
KEROLiUKAS @ Jul 10th 2008 2:02AM
June 27th? ughh...whatever it's iPhone crap anyways.
KEROLiUKAS @ Jul 10th 2008 2:02AM
Oh, now you change the picture on me so my comment makes no sense? nice one Engadget.
waiownsyou @ Jul 10th 2008 2:04AM
Damn trolls. If you hate iPhones, stop posting in news stories about them.
It's like you hating mustard on sandwiches so you wait in front of the line at a McDonald's and when you see someone order something with mustard, your eyes widen and you're like, "OMFG YOU MUSTARD N00B. WHATEVER. YOU'RE FAT."
jake @ Jul 10th 2008 2:06AM
haha yeah mine doesn't make sense with the different pic too. well, kinda.
KEROLiUKAS @ Jul 10th 2008 2:05AM
I don't hate..im just mad how they changed the picture on me, so it made my comment obsolete, and plus im just fed up with too many Apple/iPhone posts..Oh no Jobs wipes his ass with toilet paper..oh no we did not know..this is major news!
happy_penguin @ Jul 10th 2008 2:16AM
... but you just had to rush in here and comment.
You just don't get it, do you bud? The more you comment on these posts the better it is for these posts. If you truly hate it, the best thing you can do is not comment.
Joe @ Jul 10th 2008 2:17AM
You know I'd recommend checking software update for new versions of iTunes every so often because they are obviously going to release a new version as well as 2.0. And also if you look closely at the guided tour of the iPhone 3G you can see an "application" tab on iTunes that goes along with the Music, Movies, T.V. shows. etc on the left side. So that gives a new version of iTunes away!
Jordan Biffle @ Jul 10th 2008 3:00AM
WAIT! JOBS WIPED HIS ASS, OMG THIS IS BIG, I MEAN BOMBSHELL LITERALLY!
Evangelion @ Jul 10th 2008 2:02AM
Nice. :)
waiownsyou @ Jul 10th 2008 2:02AM
Apps are nice... but I think firmware 2.0 might help.
go seki @ Jul 10th 2008 3:06AM
The iPhone Firmware 2.0 is ok but its lack of multitasking continues to make the iPhone a "dumb-phone" by most measures.
Surely to gain the status of smartphone it needs to overcome this limitation.
Applications are relatively easy to write but publishing them is not that trivial. It will be interesting to see what people have written.
Mr. S. @ Jul 10th 2008 3:21AM
Sorry, I didn't follow you on that multitasking thing because while i was reading your comments, i was also talking to my friend and writing notes down, while listing to my music... all on my iphone.
deyanimay @ Jul 10th 2008 5:00AM
You we talking to your friend and listening to music at the same time, you must not be a very good friend.
Imran @ Jul 10th 2008 7:59AM
Low rank if you must but go seki is right, a simple s60-ish task switcher would make the iphone/itouch quite ultimate, at the moment that's all that's lacking in it for me (yes I have an iTouch with about 8 pages of apps as well as an N95 so i think i'm allowed to say this). A simple holding down of the home button for a second which brought up a little window with apps is so much better than having to go back to the home screen during an IM chat, browse in safari, go back home to notes, back home to calendar, back home to IM. Oh, and cross system copy and paste would be lovely.
Alex Seyer @ Jul 10th 2008 2:03AM
So 25% are free but 90% cost 9.99 or less? Hows that work out?
Uncle Fungal @ Jul 10th 2008 2:05AM
Free < $0.99
PeterF @ Jul 10th 2008 2:05AM
free is less than $9.99
David Z. @ Jul 10th 2008 2:06AM
$0 is less than $9.99.
Alex Seyer @ Jul 10th 2008 2:07AM
Iz you shittin me? When'd that happen?
shaner @ Jul 10th 2008 2:20AM
25% of 100% are free...
90% of the leftover 75% will cost lest than $9.99
Does this make better sense?
Michael LaFramboise @ Jul 10th 2008 2:40AM
25% of the 500 apps are free. Of the remaining 75%, 90% is less then 10 bucks
Stephen Wilson @ Jul 10th 2008 2:45AM
shaner, thats still not what it means. 25% of all are free, but 90% of all are under 9.99. give it a second, it'll hit you
jmsbar @ Jul 10th 2008 3:27AM
From the article
"Jobs says 25% of the apps will be free, and 90% of the ones for sale will be $9.99 or less."
The key to understanding is the "ones for sale" part
Slayer @ Jul 10th 2008 3:29AM
"Interesting news has come out of a survey of developers that are attending the WWDC event in San Francisco. According to the survey, up to 70% of the developers surveyed said that their application would not cost you a penny."
http://www.iphonebuzz.com/wwdc-survey-up-to-70-of-iphone-apps-will-be-free-122738.php
If it sounds to good to be true...
omacronalpha @ Jul 10th 2008 4:49AM
out of all apps, 90% of them are less than $9.99. 10% is over $9.99. out of the 90 percent under $9.99, 25% of those are free.
chris @ Jul 10th 2008 2:04AM
I bet there are going to be some killer apps.
Generic @ Jul 10th 2008 3:13AM
I'm dying already.
Do you work for Apple or are you restating the obvious on every platform out there?
Bryan @ Jul 10th 2008 2:04AM
25% are free, 90% are $9.99 or less.
25 + 90 = 115%?
uh.
PeterF @ Jul 10th 2008 2:06AM
0 < $9.99
mOe @ Jul 10th 2008 2:07AM
I'm going to go ahead and let you think real hard about that.
Brian @ Jul 10th 2008 2:07AM
Uh, "$9.99 or less" would include free, genius.
25% Free
65% $0.01 to $9.99
10% $10 or more
waiownsyou @ Jul 10th 2008 2:07AM
90% includes the free apps, so basically, it's 65% that's less than 9.99 but greater than (and not equal to) $0.
Joe @ Jul 10th 2008 2:08AM
I think that 90% includes the 25% free because free is less then ten bucks. So you can't merge those two percentages. They are separate statements :)
Squid7085 @ Jul 10th 2008 2:15AM
I think you are thinking too hard. Engadget probably put two statements together. 25% of all Apps are free, and out of the 75% that aren't free 90% of those are $9.99 or less.
Anthony @ Jul 10th 2008 3:17AM
lol for those who got it right you are smart ... for those who need to go back to english to learn to read CAREFULLY
"25% will be free and 90% (of those for sale) will cost $9.99 or less."
let me break it down
25% will be free
and
90% (of those for sale) will cost $9.99 or less
__________________________________________
25% X 500 apps = 125 apps FREE!!!!!
500 - 125 = 375 apps remain
90% X 375 = 337.5 apps < or = to $9.99
remainder of 37.5 app's price = (insert variable)
enjoy =]
Brendan Sheehan @ Jul 10th 2008 11:45AM
I going to make this "CLEAR".
500 apps on the store.
125 of them are FREE!
338 of them will cost $9.99 or less.
37 of them will cost over $9.99.
///NOW QUIT YOUR MOANING///
HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE FROM EUROPE YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO COMPLAIN CAUSE IF AN APP ON THE US STORE COSTS $9.99 IT'S LIKELY TO COST €9.99 THERE (HERE), WHICH WORKS OUT AT $15.68
A.K.A. Apple tax.
jake @ Jul 10th 2008 2:04AM
Everything abou the launch is so confusing. the image says "June 27th", and now theres rumors that 2.0 will be launching today (July 10th) instead of Jult 11th. JUST GIVE ME 2.0!!!
David Z. @ Jul 10th 2008 2:05AM
125 free apps? How am I supposed to fit all of those on my phone?
Joe @ Jul 10th 2008 2:11AM
lol, that's why they let you have 8 springboards! Skim pickins
Joe @ Jul 10th 2008 2:05AM
Sweet, I was hoping a lot of them would be free, I heard rumors it's being released like 9:00 AM Thursday (today in my time est). Anyone know for sure? But I just hope I don't end up paying for apps I used to get for free (I'm jailbroken 1.1.4) Oh and one more questions do you think you can use iTunes music store credit for buying games and apps? Yes, right?
heshmati4 @ Jul 10th 2008 2:07AM
This is likely the biggest news story of the year—that is, that Apple is launching the App Store. I think it's pretty clear by now that the iPhone 3G was simply an updated iPhone 1.0.
The app store will immediately make this into more than a phone; it's going to be a mobile computer. Finally I and many others will be able to leave our laptops behind on short trips and such, and still remain perfectly productive. Some of the apps will be so revolutionary in what they will allow us to do that I think within 5 years from now, people will wonder how they lived without all these things in their pockets!
I'm currently working on an iPhone App of my own, but I wouldn't have the foggiest about making an app for any other phone on the market—not even the fabled 'instinct'. The App store is a more important feature than 'copy and paste,' than 3G, than GPS, than a touch screen, etc.
The fact that people and companies will be able to publish iPhone apps on a dime will make this thing revolutionary!
Jake @ Jul 10th 2008 2:10AM
i agree with the whole leaving laptops behind on short trips. Of course, i have to bring my Airport Express, just in case.
maveric101 @ Jul 10th 2008 2:29AM
really? how are you going to type a word document with a soft keyboard? if you want a near-laptop replacement, get the Xperia X1, with higher res screen and physical keyboard. The iPhone is good, it's just not really a business phone.
Andrew T. @ Jul 10th 2008 3:33AM
computer? really? how is it going to cut/copy and paste?
(someone was bound to bring up cut/copy and paste...lol)
waiownsyou @ Jul 10th 2008 2:08AM
@Brian - 35% are $10 or more.
mackid105 @ Jul 10th 2008 2:20AM
FAIL
as it has been stated many times free< $9.99 therefore the free ones are part of the 90% so 10% are $10+
Eric @ Jul 10th 2008 2:08AM
So will there be any pit-falls to upgrading to the 2.0 software? I mean, is it going to brick my unlocked phone?
Shan @ Jul 10th 2008 2:53AM
It wont brick your unlocked phone. It will however lock it back up, so you will need to bypass activation, and then jailbreak and unlock. This of course won't happen till someone creates a new app that supports 2.0. I would avoid ZiPhone so look for the iLiberty+ folks to do the app.
Alex Seyer @ Jul 10th 2008 2:08AM
SEE!!! Somebody else gets what I was saying..
Matthew Thomas @ Jul 10th 2008 2:08AM
@ Bryan
25% of all apps will be free
90% of the apps which will be sold will be under $9.99, therefore, 10% of apps will be over $9.99.
Get it?