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Navigon updates US iPhone navigation app, live traffic updates are a go

by Ross Miller posted Nov 9th 2009 at 7:35PM

A little later than previously alluded to, but Navigon's finally rolling out live traffic update to its MobileNavigator iPhone app. Same prices as mentioned before, it'll regularly be $24.99, but for the next four weeks, it's only gonna ring up at $19.99 for lifetime use, no monthly fees. Not that TomTom needed anything else to think about, of course. Full presser after the break.

Continue reading Navigon updates US iPhone navigation app, live traffic updates are a go

Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases

by Ross Miller posted Oct 15th 2009 at 6:11PM

One of Apple's many curious restrictions on iPhone apps has now been lifted. It used to be that, in order for developers to have microtransactions / in-app purchases, they had to charge something upfront for the software, essentially requiring consumers to pay at least twice, or not at all. Well, all that's changed, as the company has sent word to its developer community that the restriction has been lifted, meaning those annoying "Lite" and "Full" versions cluttering the app store can now be one and the same, with folks downloading the demo and paying to upgrade from within the app itself, a model that's worked to success in other software ecosystems like Xbox Live. Sure, there's gonna be developers out there that abuse the newly-minted business model, but it's not like anything was stopping them before when they charged $2 upfront only to get you again later. The mass email announcement is reprinted after the break. [Warning: read link requires iPhone developer account]

[Via Daring Fireball]

Continue reading Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases

Apple says iTunes LPs don't cost labels $10,000, will be available to indies

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 13th 2009 at 7:14PM

Well, that $10,000 "production fee" Apple was said to be charging labels for iTunes LPs certainly seemed a little over the top in more ways than one, and it looks like the company has now come out and denied that it's the case at all, saying flat out that "there is no production fee charged by Apple." What's more, it also says that iTunes LPs will in fact be available to indie labels, noting that it's "releasing the open specs for iTunes LP soon, allowing both major and indie labels to create their own." Of course, that premium price for the iTunes LPs themselves is still totally in place, although the open specs could potentially at least lead to some more interesting options if the labels decide to really run with 'em.

[Via Macworld]

Apple said to be charging $10,000 for iTunes LP production, cutting out indie labels

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 9th 2009 at 4:07PM

Sure, it may be tough deciding whether to shell out the extra few bucks for a deluxe iTunes LP or not (okay, maybe not that tough), but it looks like that's nothing compared to what record labels are faced with. While Apple itself of course isn't saying anything official on the matter, Gizmodo spoke with the owner of one indie record label who got a bit of information after inquiring about the possibility of making some iTunes LPs himself. Apparently, not only is Apple not currently making iTunes LPs available to indie labels at all, but it's charging the major labels a hefty $10,000 production fee for each one, which no doubt also means they'll be confined to particularly big sellers unless something big changes.

[Via iLounge]

Apple pulls C64 App after Manomio shenanigans revealed

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2009 at 7:52AM

Come on Manomio, what did you expect? Did you really think Apple would leave your C64 emulator in the App Store after it was revealed that the BASIC interpreter was still in your software, exposed with a little up, up, down, down, left, right trickery? That's a clear breach of the SDK and well, downright sneaky. In a blog post to its site, Manomio claims that it had "no intention of tricking basic into the app" and only left the code in to be remotely activated later should Apple change its policy. Of course, with so much money left on the table, Manomio promptly submitted a new, presumably BASIC-free app for approval. Something we're sure Apple will get right on.

[Via The iPhone blog]

Read -- Enable BASIC in C64 hack
Read -- Manomio's plea for mercy

Apple sells 25% of music in the US, none of which is AC/DC

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 19th 2009 at 5:13PM

According to the number crunchers at NPD Group, the trend that came to a head last year when Apple beat out Wal-Mart for the title of largest Stateside music retailer is continuing apace. That's right -- one in four songs sold in America is sold on iTunes, while Wal-Mart (including CD sales through retail stores, sales through their website, and Wal-Mart Music Downloads) holds the number two position at 14 percent. And number three, if you're morbidly curious, is Best Buy. In addition, 69% of all digital music sold in the US comes from the iTunes store, with Amazon ranking second at 8 percent. When talking formats, the CD remains the most popular at 65 percent, but as some dude named Russ Crupnick (NPD's vice president of entertainment industry analysis) notes, "with digital music sales growing at 15 to 20 percent, and CDs falling by an equal proportion, digital music sales will nearly equal CD sales by the end of 2010." Which can only be a good thing, if it means that we'll never have to step into a Wal-Mart again. Sales of ringtones and sales to consumers under 13 were not tabulated, which means the data may incorrectly skew away from purchases of The Wiggles' Go Bananas! and that Crazy Frog song.

[Via TUAW]

Google Voice app GV Mobile ported to jailbroken iPhones, web app version in the works

by Ross Miller posted Jul 28th 2009 at 9:02PM

So well-mannered, straight-laced iPhone users got a pretty big slap in the face yesterday by way of Apple's (and AT&T's, no doubt) total Google Voice rejection. Looks like jailbreakers are picking up the pieces, as GV Mobile developer Sean Kovacs -- whose app was in the iTunes store for some time before being yanked yesterday -- has ported the Voice client over to Cydia free of charge, although donations are gladly accepted. Even more interesting, but less concrete, Kovacs said he was already working on a web app version, possibly for submission to Palm's app catalog. No word on the fate of GVdialer, an app that was also unceremoniously pulled, but we wouldn't be surprised if it followed in similar footsteps.

Read - GV Mobile now on Cydia
Read - Sean Kovacs on Twitter

Google Voice iPhone app rejected, current GV apps lose connection with iTunes

by Ross Miller posted Jul 28th 2009 at 12:01AM

Perhaps the big G spoke too soon when it said its new Google Voice service was coming to iPhone. First, GV Mobile developer Sean Kovacs relays a phone call he had with Apple where he was notified of his app being removed from the iTunes store for duplicating built-in iPhone features -- an app that was originally and purportedly approved by Phil Schiller himself. Next out the door was GVdialer, and if you thought that was all bad, now comes word that Google's official Voice app was flat-out rejected by Cupertino. Now it's hard to say with certainty who's to blame for these app rejections, but a good many fingers are pointing to the cellular carriers -- and given AT&T's previous statements about the SlingPlayer app, it's hard to argue with that. For its part, the company hinted at finding a workaround via web apps, much like they did when Apple gave Latitude a cold shoulder -- but doesn't that feel just a little 2007?

[Via Apple Insider]

Read - Official Google Voice App Blocked from App Store
Read - GV Mobile is getting pulled from App Store
Read - Sean Kovac's Twitter status on Schiller

Apple's App Store crosses the 1.5 billion download mark

by Laura June posted Jul 14th 2009 at 9:54AM

Yes, it seems like only yesterday (or about 3 months ago) that Apple crossed a landmark -- 1 billion apps downloaded from its App Store -- and here we are again. Apple's just issued a press release stating that it's now seen another half a billion apps downloaded in about three months -- putting them over the 1.5 billion mark. Apple doesn't get all the kudos to themselves, though: after all, someone's been downloading The Moron Test. A lot.

iPhone movie and TV show downloads revealed in rogue ad?

by Donald Melanson posted May 25th 2009 at 1:12AM

While direct movie and TV show downloads on the iPhone certainly seems like a reasonable enough proposition (over WiFi, at least), we're not completely convinced that a rogue ad in the Twitterfon app is the first place such a feature would leak out. According to a report on Open Salon, however, that's just what has happened, and there's even a few not immediately dismissible pics to back it up. Of course, the ad in question is now seemingly nowhere to be found, but it supposedly did once point to some movie and TV show listings broken down by genre, and even to the individual, non-working titles that would apparently be available. Head on past the break for a glimpse of the ad itself, and feel free to let us know if you happened to see it yourself.

[Via Yahoo! Tech]

Continue reading iPhone movie and TV show downloads revealed in rogue ad?

Apple ponders kiosk-style movie and music downloads

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 7th 2009 at 3:17PM

This is not the first time we've heard talk of an Apple media download kiosk, nor does it seem any more plausible this time around, but who knows? According to patent docs dredged up by Apple Insider and dating back to the halcyon days of late 2007, the company has certainly put some thought into this, detailing a wireless iTunes station that would allow users to access the iTunes store on the go, using a "virtual physical connection" to the player. As for the kiosk, it would both access media stored locally (perennial faves and new releases) and the rest of the iTunes store over its Internet connection, with users ponying up by either providing their iTunes account credentials or by credit card. Not a bad idea, eh? Well, we won't hold our breath. One more pic for you after the jump, jump, jump...

[Via Apple Insider]

Continue reading Apple ponders kiosk-style movie and music downloads

Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th

by Ross Miller posted Apr 14th 2009 at 3:32AM

To think, it's only been three months since we talked about Apple's iTunes store crossing the 500 million download threshold, and now it looks like the gang in Cupertino are gearing up to celebrate their 1 billionth app. To celebrate, the company's released two lists showcasing the top 20 free and paid iPhone apps, respectively. Presuming these are in order (they're certainly not alphabetical), that puts Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D for paid apps and Facebook for free apps. Interestingly, Crash shares with Super Monkey Ball the dubious honor of being the only two apps on the list at $5.99, the highest price here. Eight of the paid apps cost $0.99 apiece, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Check out both lists after the break.

[Via i4u]

Continue reading Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th

iTunes Store's new pricing scheme affects the charts, that Lightspeed Champion guy expresses surprise

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 12th 2009 at 9:06PM

An interesting sidenote on the intersection of music and commerce: Billboard reported last week that the iTunes Store's new variable pricing plan has had a bit of an impact on sales rankings on individual tracks, giving $.99 songs an advantage over their $1.29 counterparts. According to the magazine, numbers for Wednesday, April 8, show that the iTunes Top 100 chart had 40 songs at the $1.29 price point, and 60 at $0.99 -- the premium songs slid an average of 5.3 places, while the $0.99 songs gained roughly 2.5 chart positions. On Thursday the trend continued, with the 53 songs priced at $0.99 rising roughly 1.66 places on the chart, while the remaining songs -- priced at $1.29 -- lost an average of two chart positions. None of which answers the most pressing question: When will Miley Cyrus's reign of terror come to an end?

iTunes Store now infected with variable pricing, Amazon still $0.99

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 7th 2009 at 4:34AM

As promised, variable pricing has now been implemented at the iTunes music store. Already, we're seeing most of the top 10 singles and 33 of the top 100 hitting the top price-point of $1.29 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps AAC). Interesting as Amazon's uncomfortably similar top 10 list has all these tracks priced at $0.99 (encoded as DRM-free 256kbps VBR MP3). A handful of tracks (nine in the top 100) do hit the higher $1.29 price further down Amazon's list. Now, if you believe Steve (someone who originally postured against this price structure), then it appears that the music labels are charging Apple more for the rights to sell its music than Amazon based on this quote attributed to Jobs in the Apple press release from January:

in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points-69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29-with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.

Regardless, we know where we'll be purchasing our Miley Cyrus from now on.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Read -- January "Changes Coming to the iTunes Store" press release
Read -- iTunes top songs [Warning: iTunes App link]
Read -- Amazon top songs

Apple adds HD video purchases to the iTunes Store

by Nilay Patel posted Mar 19th 2009 at 5:12PM

Apple's flood of announcements this month continues apace today with the addition of high-def movie purchases to the iTunes Store. Although HD TV shows were previously available to buy, HD movies were rental-only until now. HD flicks will cost you $19.99, and we're guessing they're the same H.264 compressed 720p quality as usual, so videophiles will probably want to stick to Blu-ray. Purchases will come with both an HD file and an iPod / iPhone-ready SD file, which is a nice touch, and Apple's also promising that HD rentals will now be on the store within 30 days of retail release -- better, but not perfect. It's all going live today with exclusive pre-orders of Quantum of Solace and Twilight, but honestly, we're still wondering when Apple will implement subscription video and really take it to Netflix.