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Apple introduces vanity URLs for App Store apps

Apple didn't air a Super Bowl commercial, but it still managed to generate some buzz thanks to Paramount Pictures. According to a CNET report, the movie maker aired a commercial for its upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness film and flashed a custom URL (AppStore.com/StarTrekApp) for the movie's iOS app. This URL caught people's attention as it directed users to the iOS app using Apple's AppStore.com domain.

Shortly after the commercial aired, Apple updated its developer documentation and included instructions on how developers can setup custom AppStore.com URLs for their individual apps and for their company name.

Apple obtained the AppStore.com domain and the App Store trademark from Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce. Benioff gifted the pair to Apple after the Cupertino company announced it was opening an App Store for its mobile devices. Benioff told Bloomberg in a 2011 interview that he donated the domain and trademark as a thank-you gift to Steve Jobs, who advised him in the early days of Salesforce.