2008-07-10
App Store First Thoughts
text 11:18:00
For some bizarre reason, the iPhone (and iPod touch- although I suspect that developers as well as Apple will treat it as something of an afterthought) App Store went live about an hour ago, meaning that for once the Europeans got to poke at things before the Americans.
Here’s some quick thoughts from poking around it. (The app links will open iTunes. Beware.)
- You don’t need iTunes 7.7 to browse, only to download (thanks Gavin)
- There’s a section heading for Free Apps, which is nice if you’re a cheapskate
- A surprising number of websites seem to have written custom apps - Facebook, MySpace, British Airways (yes really)
- Exposure is a third-party Flickr browser, but there’s no official Flickr uploader (SmugMug have one, though, and there is Shozu)
- Tom just pointed out Mobile Flickr - non-free but does have an uploader, unlike Exposure
- Some apps look as if they’ll be effectively US only, because their developers are relying on feeds that won’t exist outside (I’m thinking of the otherwise impressive-seeming WeatherBug here)
- There’s an official AIM client, despite the lack of background notifications
- Some apps are actually US only, despite appearing on the UK store (Crash Bandicoot is one, thanks Tom)
- Prices I’ve seen for non-free apps range from 59p to £12 - the latter is OmniFocus
- New high price winner- LionClock Lite at £18
- There doesn’t seem to be a way to try before you buy, which would be bad for an app that relies on geographic data
- I’ve seen very few apps that explicitly mention the iPod touch as either compatible or limited - not sure if that’s because developers aren’t thinking or because things do Just Work
- Apple have two apps - Texas Hold’em and Remote. One’s £3, the other’s free
- The Entertainment category is cluttered with public domain books wrapped in a reader, for 59p each
- New high price! ForeFlight Mobile comes in at a round £39.99
That’ll do for now, I think. If I come up with anything else I’ll add it to the end.
