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Apple begins showing Russian iPhone owners state-approved apps during setup
Apple has been forced to show Russian iPhone users a recommended list of local apps following the implementation of a new law.
UK opens antitrust probe into Apple’s App Store policies
The UK's competition regulator has launched an antitrust investigation into Apple over its iOS App Store terms and conditions.
Apple fixes 'terms and conditions' iOS bug that blocked app downloads
If you're one of the people who has been unable to install new apps or download updates from Apple's iOS App Store, don't worry. A fix is on the way. Apple has issued a server-side fix to address a bug that has prevented people from completing downloads, according to a report from AppleInsider. Users who have experienced the issue have been presented with a prompt regarding new terms and conditions but are not able to clear the notification no matter how many times they attempt to agree to the changes.
Google Play catching up with iOS App Store in volume, trails in revenue
The App Annie Index market report for the first quarter of 2013 is out, showing some fascinating trends. While the Android-centric Google Play app store is seeing continued growth in download volume, the iOS App Store dominates revenues, earning almost 2.6 times the app revenue of Google Play. Almost half of the total iOS downloads were from four countries -- the US, China, United Kingdom and Japan. Not surprisingly, those four countries were also responsible for the most revenue from the iOS App Store, followed by Australia. App Annie analysts noted that games were the big growth driver for the iOS App Store and made up almost 40 percent of downloads in the first quarter. One fascinating trend is that the Photo and Video category moved up to the No. 3 spot during the quarter, leading this blogger to wonder if that trend reflects increased usage of the iPhone as a primary camera. Games were also the top category in the iOS App Store by revenue, followed by Productivity, Social Networking, Education and Entertainment apps. How big are games as a revenue generator for iOS? Almost 70 percent of App Store revenue came from firing birds at pigs and slaying raiding zombies.
Sony's 'Reader' App finally re-launches on iOS, purchasing new books not included
Sony's Reader App for iOS launched way back in the heady days of 2010, long before Kindle's had set Fire or gone Paperwhite. It was subsequently rejected by Apple, per the company's longstanding policy of not approving software for iOS that bypassed Apple's own in-app purchase system for a proprietary one. It's been more than a few months at this point, but Reader has finally re-launched on the iOS App Store -- free of charge, of course -- and it's got a brand new look. As The Digital Reader points out, Sony's Reader looks an awful lot like the Bluefire iOS e-reader app, though we'd wager Sony's store offers more in the way of literary choice -- sadly, you can't actually purchase e-books through the application directly. Apparently Sony never found a solution, eh? Update: This post originally stated you could purchase e-books through the updated app, which is inaccurate. We apologize for any confusion.
Apple unveils new version of iBooks with continuous scrolling, iBooks Author also updated
Apple CEO Tim Cook took to a San Jose theater stage today to unveil a new version of the company's literature-based digital storefront, iBooks. Cook says it integrates better with iCloud, allows for quote sharing on Facebook and Twitter, and has support for "over 40 languages." Beyond the app update info, Cook touted iBook's sales exceeding 400 million books worldwide -- not too shabby! The updated iBooks app should be available today on the iOS App Store, though it's not there just yet. Update: It looks like iBooks Author is also getting an update today, as Cook says new templates, fonts, and user-created fonts are now supported. Additionally, mathematical equations can now be inserted directly, and multitouch widgets will also work. For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
Gartner: Free apps dominate market, iOS App Store accounts for 25 percent of all content
If you'd just put down Angry Birds Space for a moment, maybe we could tell you that mobile apps are kind of a big deal. How big of a deal? How's about 45.6 billion downloads just this year -- that's a serious amount of birds lost in space! All of those downloads weren't just Angry Birds venturing into the final frontier, of course. Gartner, Inc's latest mobile report doesn't actually break down how much of that enormous number pertains to Rovio's hit franchise, but it does note that "free apps will account for nearly 90 percent of total mobile app store downloads in 2012." That means of the nearly 46 billion apps downloaded this year, approximately 40.6 billion were free. Additionally, an entire quarter of the apps downloaded in 2012 were via Apple's iOS app store -- but that isn't what's driving app growth, necessarily. "The number of apps available is driven by an increasing number of stores in the market today," Gartner research director Brian Blau notes. "These stores will see their combined share of total downloads increase, but demand for apps overall will still be dominated by Apple, Google, and Microsoft." And the growth doesn't stop there. Blau predicts that 93 percent of all apps downloads will be of the free variety by 2016 -- also, we'll be downloading over 300 billion apps worldwide by the same year. Like we said, kind of a big deal.
Bastion heading to iPad tomorrow [updated]
The kid is sauntering over to Apple's iPad tomorrow in Bastion from Supergiant Games. New Zealanders – beyond the beautiful rolling hills and verdant greenery – get iOS games ahead of the rest of the planet due to the position of the sun and how that relates to our definition of time, you see, so it's already available in that territory. The game has a set launch date of August 30, but some territories are already in the future.Anyway, Bastion's iPad-only for now, which Supergiant says was a decision made due to "technical reasons." Additionally, the team, "felt the game experience would not translate well to the iPhone's smaller screen."When it arrives on the US App Store, it'll cost $4.99 and there's no demo version – you could always try it out in Google Chrome first? Don't hesitate to let us know if you see it pop up on our digital shores, which should be sometime tonight around 11PM ET. And head over to Supergiant's page for a ton more info about the new release.Update: This story was updated to reflect the official announcement of Bastion on iOS.
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.
Daily Update for November 2, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple expands iOS and Mac App Store into 33 new territories, Tuvalu strangely absent
Brought that shiny new unlocked iPhone 4 home to Tanzania, only have your first App Store experience end in tears? We certainly sympathize, and apparently Apple's heard your plea. Interested developers can now head on over to the iTunes Connect portal, where they'll tick some new checkboxes and soon be on their way, peddling their wares to an additional 33 locales -- but not the home of .tv, unfortunately. Curious if your nation made the cut? Hop on past the break and see if Cupertino thinks you're worthy.
Shadow Cities launches on iOS App Store
Technomages, today is your day! Rise up and cast off the fetters of boring society to claim your kingdom! All it takes is one free download of Shadow Cities, which has finally arrived at the Apple App Store. Taking the best parts of real world alternate reality games (ARGs) and MMOs, Shadow Cities casts you in the role of a mage who is fighting dark forces while simultaneously striving to control chunks of territory. Instead of staying home, players are tasked with traveling physically to different places around their neighborhoods to cast spells against other players and NPCs. Players can join one of two factions that struggle for ultimate domination amid an unsuspecting populace. Shadow Cities hit the top of the charts in Finland when it was released there, and Grey Area hopes that it will do the same worldwide. If you'd like to learn more about this immersive title, make sure to read up on our Shadow Cities tour from GDC!
EA iPhone spring sale includes Dead Space for $5
Many of EA's for iPhone and iPod touch are discounted this weekend. The big deal is that the well-received iPhone version of Dead Space had a couple bucks strategically dismembered from its regular price and is available now for $5. Other discounted titles include Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12,The Sims 3, SimCity Deluxe, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and The Simpsons Arcade. All the titles are $5 or less, with SimCity and Simpsons being only $1.
