app-of-the-week
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Plants vs. Zombies goes free on iOS this week
For the first time in the game's history on iOS, Plants vs. Zombies has dropped to the low price of completely free. On either the iPhone or in HD on the iPad, you can grab the full-featured app for free through the rest of this week.Statistically, given how many copies of the game have sold already, you probably already own it on at least one of your gaming devices, but just in case that list doesn't include iOS just yet, there you go. And now that PvZ has finally and truly achieved total platform domination, PopCap can start it on the sequel; It's due out sometime this spring.
Apple adds free App of the Week to iTunes, Editor's Choice to Mac and iOS App Store
As noticed by The Verge, Apple has started to promote apps in the iOS and Mac App Store using an "Editors' Choice" branding. The first apps to receive this distinction are Deus X Human Revolution and Cobook in the Mac App Store as well as Facebook Camera and Extreme Skater in the iOS App Store. Also, Apple is offering the 99-cent Cut the Rope: Experiments game for free as part of its "App of the Week" series. This is apparently the first time Apple has discounted an app specifically for this promotion.
Apple adds App of the Week to the App Store
This little tidbit was hidden in the rush of iPad news last week, but if you check out the iTunes App Store, you'll notice that Apple has started promoting an official iPhone and iPad App of the Week (presumably every week from now on). They're not diving very deep to find apps for this one (MLB At Bat 2010 is the iPad app, and We Rule is the iPhone choice -- both of those hardly need any more promotion), but since we've heard from developers that Apple promotion really can make or break an app, the addition of another app spotlight can only mean good things for those apps. Critical Thought's David Whatley made this point well at GDC a few weeks ago -- he said that niche outlets (like our own little blog right here) covered his app first, which then gained the attention of Apple, who then promoted it in the App Store as "new and notable" and on the top paid charts. That then led to mainstream attention, which of course led up to major sales numbers. In short, the more Apple promotes apps, the more they sell. And that's why an "App of the Week" promotion like this can mean a lot to the right developers. MLB doesn't really need the extra spotlight, but getting a slot in the new App of the Week spot could make the careers of quite a few smaller developers out there.
