Apple has been having problems with Chinese writers suing for unlicensed eBook distribution in the App Store. After a group of writers asked Apple for 10 million yuan in damages for unlawfully distributing copyrighted works in certain Chinese apps, the court has forced Apple to pay a smaller settlement fee of 1.03 million yuan, which is only about $165,000.
Apple’s iOS devices have always been hot Christmas gifts, especially for young folks. This year was no exception. Mobile app analytics firm Distimo is reporting that App Store downloads spiked a staggering 87% on Christmas Day, and revenues went up 70%.
Mobile app analytics firm Distimo annually publishes a review of the past year’s growth and trends in the app space. For 2012, Distimo compared Apple’s App Store vs. Google Play on Android handsets. While both marketplaces are considered winners in their own right, the App Store is still where the real money comes from.
Google Play has technically been growing faster than the App Store in recent months, but the daily revenues generated in the App Store are still far greater than anything Google has been able to muster.
As we near the end of 2012, Cult of Mac has taken a look back at some of the best iOS apps that have hit the App Store over the last 12 months. There have been some terrific releases this year, and we could have named a hundred that are well worth your hard-earned cash. But we’ve managed to whittle our list down to just ten titles that have really stood out for us this year. Check out our best apps roundup below.
Picking up a new skill is a very popular new year’s resolution. And this Cult of Mac Deals offer will go a long way in helping you pick up a skill that can bring both pleasure and profit – designing iOS apps.
The iOS App Design Course bundle is just $79 for a limited time, and if you have beginner level knowledge of Photoshop and a desire to learn iOS app design, this course trio will help you quickly learn how to design both iPhone and iPad apps and icons.
The latest version of Wunderlist for iPhone kicks off this week’s must-have apps roundup, with a brand new look and a whole host of new features. It’s accompanied by an awesome new app from Readdle, a great way to monitor your social statistics, and a brand new app from Facebook.
Welcome to the last must-have games roundup before Christmas. If you’re looking to treat yourself, or maybe gift a new game to a friend, check out some of the titles we have below. There’s the latest game from Cut the Rope creators ZeptoLab, a stunning endless runner from Crescent Moon Games, plus the latest edition to the Final Fantasy series, and more.
Sometimes you just want to share photos with family and friends, simply and easily, without having to post to Facebook, figure out the lists thing there, or use some weird Dropbox shared folder, because, honestly, your mom really doesn’t “get” Drobpox and can’t you just send her a nice picture of the grandkids like you used to? And don’t even get me started on shared Photo Streams and your dad, ok?
Since it’s the end of the calendar year, and many folks celebrate holidays of one sort or another, or completely boycott them, which is its own kind of celebration, really, I though it might be nice to connect you all to a new app, called Pear (get it?). It lets you share photos and such simply, easily, and only with those folks you want to share with.
One of the last big holdouts has caved: The Wall Street Journal is now available on Apple’s Newsstand.
One of the better Yuletide traditions is the venerable holiday Advent Calendar, in which each day of December leading up to Christmas is marked off on a special calendar by opening its corresponding door to find a small gift, toy or chocolate squirreled away inside.
This year, we here at Cult of Mac decided we wanted to give our readers their very own Apple-themed advent calendar, filled with the year’s best apps, gadgets, stories and other curios. So each day in December, we’re going to lovingly peel back the door on the Cult of Mac 2012 Advent Calendar to reveal another delicious morsel, something really special that came out this year that we think every one of you should enjoy.
T.G.I. it’s Day 21, and today’s delicious little morsel? The addictive iOS game 10000000.
While Apple has managed to keep the App Store free from malware, it seems the Cupertino company has a hard time filtering out scams. Every so often, a shameless developer tries their luck at selling a title that promises to be something it isn’t. The latest claims to be a Halo 4 clone that is “iPhone/iPad exclusive.” They’ve gone through the trouble of writing a lengthy App Store description in an effort to fool you into thinking it’s the real thing. But in reality, it’s just a $4.99 game of chess.
Readdle has issued a new update to its Calendars app for iOS today, introducing a number of new features and some nice improvements. And if that wasn’t enough, the company has also slashed 80% off its price tag for Christmas, so if you haven’t already go it, now’s a great time to pick it up.
Apple’s App Store is widely considered the king of mobile marketplaces — even Android fanatics will admit that it offers a greater selection of high-quality apps and games. But it’s Google Play that’s currently seeing the most growth, according to the latest data from app analytics firm Distimo, while the App Store enjoys more than four times as much revenue.
ZeptoLab, the creators of the hugely popular Cut the Rope, just released their latest iOS game. It’s called Pudding Monsters, and it promises to be a deliciously addictive puzzle adventure filled with whacky characters and “innovative stick-’em-together game-play.” Check out the launch trailer below.
Ever wish you could just write on your iPad or iPhone and have it type up your notes for you? Long for the days of the Newton, or just wish you had Android-style handwriting recognition on your iPhone? Well, wait no longer, as MyScript Notes is here, powered by the same tech as what powers the Samsung Note, so you know it’s gonna be good.
Would Apple ever make a credit card? They’ve got millions of credit cards on file for iTunes and App Store purchases. They could integrate it with Passbook. And they’ve got over $100 billion in cash just chillin in the bank, so why not?
We don’t think Apple would ever make a credit card, but it’s an interesting idea that the guys at Credit Card Compare dreamed up – like how it would integrate with Find My iPhone so you could chase down anyone who swipes your wallet. The mockup marketing materials they created for the iCard are perfect. It’s exactly what Apple.com would look like after the big iCard keynote.
Take a look:
If you know someone who just got a new iPhone or iPad, or might be getting one for Christmas, you can help them stock up on apps, music, and movies for cheap with an iTunes gift card. Walmart is selling $50 iTunes gift cards for only 40 bucks. That’s 20% off and the biggest discount we’ve seen.
You can only get this deal online from Walmart.com. Once you purchase the gift card you’ll receive an email with a code that you can redeem via iTunes that will give you a $50 credit in your account. It’s free money. Hurry and get the deal while it’s still available.
Source: Walmart
We all know how the annoying experience of tapping a link to an App Store app on the iPhone. You’re immediately thrown out of whatever app you’re in and forced to view the app’s full page in the App Store. Thankfully, that cumbersome experience no longer exists for app ads in the official Facebook iOS app.
When a developer pays to show an ad for their iOS app in your Facebook feed, you’ll now be able to open and install said app without ever leaving Facebook. This is the first time we’ve seen the ability for users to download an App Store app from a pop-up window.
Music streaming service Rhapsody has finally made itself available on your iPad with a brand new app that promises to deliver “a visually stunning and immersive experience for the music lover!” It brings more than 16 million songs to your tablet, with support for offline playlists, AirPlay, and unlimited downloads. What’s more, it offers a 30-day free trial for those who aren’t already signed up.
Viber, the popular cross-platform mobile communications service, has today announced that it has now surpassed more than 140 million users across six platforms, with 400,000 people joining the service each and every day. To celebrate the milestone, the company has introduced a number of new features to its Android and iOS apps, including the ability to send “fun stickers” and “playful emoticons,” and support for the iPhone 5’s larger display.
A free SpongeBob Squarepants game from Nickelodeon has had to be pulled from the App Store following complaints that it violates children’s online privacy rights. SpongeBob Diner Dash asked children for their names and email addresses without parental permission — so that it could fill their inboxes with spam, no doubt — causing an advocacy group to report the app to the Federal Trade Commission.
Google just released a new app that is going to make it even easier to share all your funny and embarrassing videos on YouTube. YouTube Capture is a new iOS app by Google that records videos and uploads them to YouTube straight from your iPhone.
YouTube Capture is designed to get videos on to the video sharing service as easily as possible by keeping the interface clean and simple. Once you open up the app it’s ready to record and after you stop recording a video it’s immediately ready to upload to YouTube. It’s simple and awesome.
Here’s a video of how the app works:
When the App Store first came into being in 2008 the majority of new apps released were paid apps. Times have changed and more and more app developers are electing to go with free or freemium models rather than charging users to download their app.
Appsfire just posted their 2012: A Year In The App Store review that analyized the 1 million apps that have been sold in the App Store and they found that only 34% apps released in 2012 were paid apps – down from 74% in 2008.
Camera+ for iPad just got a brand new update that introduces a high quality setting for snapping — you guessed it — high quality photographs. It comes in addition to the two quality settings already offered by Camera+, and its creators warn that using it will cause your storage to get eaten up a whole lot quicker.
So, it’s finally here — Google released an official Google Maps app for the iPhone, and we love it. Not only is it back with a brand new look, it also has new features, and of course, the accurate data we’ve all been missing since Apple released iOS 6. Also in our roundup is a brand new 1Password app from AgileBits, a new Flickr app from Yahoo!, and more.