Apple has introduced new short URLs for the App Store, making links to iOS apps and games much simpler to remember, and easier to read. Like its short URLs for the iTunes Store, you can now tell which app you have been linked to before you’ve even clicked on it. The new system has already been put to good use, making its debut during a Super Bowl commercial for the Star Trek app.
Using the Star Trek app as an example, the new short URL system turns “https://search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZContentLink.woa/wa/link?mt=8&path=apps%2fStarTrekApp” into just AppStore.com/StarTrekApp. Developers can choose what they want the short URL to be, too — it’s not generated automatically.
There are three different types of short URLs — one for company names, one for app names, and one for apps by company. And these come in two forms — one for iOS apps and one for Mac apps. Apple has published a guide for developers that explains the new system, and how the URLs can be created.
Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was gifted the AppStore.com domain by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff following the unveiling of the App Store back in 2008. Since then, the store has amassed more than 800,000 apps, and seen more than 40 billion downloads.
Source: CNET
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
2 responses to “Apple Introduces New AppStore.com Short URLs That Get Super Bowl Debut”
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