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Today in Apple history: The App Store hits 200 million downloads

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App Store
The App Store racked up 200 million downloads in less than five months.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

October 22: Today in Apple history: The App Store hits 200 million downloads October 22, 2008: During an Apple conference call, Steve Jobs reveals that a user downloaded the 200 millionth app from the App Store that very day.

The news comes less than five months after the launch of the App Store, and only a month after Apple surpassed 100 million app downloads.

New ‘Meet with Apple Experts’ opens labs and more to developers

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Devs can easily find programming tailored to their time zone and language.
Devs can easily find programming tailored to their time zone and language.
Photo: Apple

The new Meet with Apple Experts program helps Apple developers easily find and join workshops, labs and one-on-one consultations to help them build great apps, Apple said Tuesday.

The new dedicated resource builds on other programs for developers, incorporating their programming.

New ‘Apps by Apple’ guide serves up great apps on a platter

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The new Apps by Apple webpage gives you an overview and access to Apple's first-party apps.
The new Apps by Apple webpage gives you an overview and access to Apple's first-party apps.
Photo: Apple

Apple quietly added a helpful new “Apps by Apple” section to its website last week. Cupertino’s new guide breaks down the world of great Apple apps into helpful sections all in one place.

Some people wonder if it’s part of Apple’s response to the European Union’s moves to force sideloading of apps on iPhones.

EU Digital Markets Act will open iPhone to sideloading of apps

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European Union
The European Union takes another step toward tough regulations on tech giants like Apple.
Photo: Freestocks.org

Now that iOS and the App Store have been labeled “gatekeepers” by the European Commission, the EU’s Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow users to install applications directly onto iPhones. And sideloading is just one of the sweeping changes resulting from the DMA. Users apparently will be able to replace Siri with one of its rivals, for example. Other services, like iMessage, might require modification later.

One thing’s clear: The iPhone won’t be the same after the Digital Markets Act goes into effect in spring 2024.

iPhone and iPad apps will go automatically into Apple Vision Pro App Store

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Apple Vision Pro applications
Vision Pro won't suffer from a lack of software if Apple has anything to do with it ... and it does.
Photo: Apple

There certainly will not be a dearth of apps for the Vision Pro when it launches — Apple said Tuesday that every compatible iOS and iPadOS application will be automatically listed in an upcoming App Store for the AR headset.

That means there’ll be “hundreds of thousands” of apps for Vision Pro at its debut early next year, according to Apple.

Apple purchases help support US national parks

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Help keep national parks going with your next Apple purchase. And there's an Activity Challenge, too.
Help keep national parks going with your next Apple purchase. And there's an Activity Challenge, too.
Photo: National Park Foundation/Jeremy Wade Shockley

The U.S. National Park Service turns 107 on Friday. And, as usual, Apple is running its donation campaign to the National Parks Foundation to celebrate.

Each purchase made with Apple Pay in the Apple Store and on Apple sites through Sunday, August 27, donates $10 to the National Parks Foundation.

Today in Apple history: Dev defends I Am Rich, his totally useless $1,000 app

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I Am Rich
The I Am Rich app could be yours for the bargain price of $999.99.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

August 10 Today in Apple history: Dev defends I Am Rich, his totally useless $1,000 app August 10, 2008: The developer of I Am Rich, a pointless iPhone app that sold for a whopping $999.99, defends his notorious creation as “art.”

After Apple removed I Am Rich from the App Store in the wake of controversy over the app’s outrageous price and total lack of usefulness, its creator, German developer Armin Heinrich, says he made it as a sort of joke.

Supreme Court refuses to speed up major App Store change

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Is Apple’s deal to make Google Safari’s default search engine anticompetitive?
The Supreme Court won't immediately end Apple's anti-steering policy for third-party app developers.
Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by Epic Games that would have required Apple to immediately get rid of its “anti-steering” rule for third-party applications — a major change. Instead, the Mac-maker can wait until there’s a final decision by the high court.

This means Apple doesn’t have to change its policy that prevents developers from sending customers from their applications to their websites to pay for subscriptions or services … yet.

Elon Musk wants Tim Cook to lower App Store fees for Twitter creators

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Elon Musk
Musk wants Apple to not charge its fees on the money X creators make.
Photo: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affair/Wikipedia CC

Elon Musk wants creators on X to make more money. And for this, he plans to talk to Apple CEO Tim Cook about lowering the App Store fees for creators on Twitter X.

The billionaire wants Apple to only charge its 30% commission on the amount that X keeps, not the money a creator receives.

Apple cracks down on apps that use device fingerprinting to track users

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iPhone Device Fingerprinting
Just like you have fingerprints, your iPhone can have a device fingerprint.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple warned all App Store developers that it’s starting a crackdown on using device fingerprinting for user tracking.

As a means of preventing this invasive tracking, Apple will soon require devs to justify the inclusion of all APIs in software submitted to the App Store.