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Around the Web 12.12.08: Google Street View gets a view, Apple App Store gets a new look and court documents go free
L.A. Times Tech Blog —
...
-- Carniegie Mellon University artists Ben Kingsley and Robin Hewlett work with Google to create Street View with a twist. Streetwithaview
-- Sony's PlayStation 3 sales dropped 19% in November. AlleyInsider
-- Apple rennovates App Store to show wider offering. AppleInsider
-- Intel and Ericsson collaborate on ways to remotely lock down stolen or missing laptops. Slashdot
-- AT&T reintroduces ability to activate ...
Apple tweaks iTunes App Store’s layout to highlight popular apps
MacDailyNews —
... -- which previously dominated the most popular listings -- from most popular Paid Apps, breaking each out into separate sidebar modules that flank the general listings for each category," Oliver reports. Oliver reports, "While Friday's changes may not solve all of developers' problems, Vegesna said he believes Apple 'now truly understands the software as a service model and is enhancing the [App Store] every week (in some cases, multiple times a week)." More in the full article here .
Mac News Roundup
Technology - Channel Feed —
Here are several interesting news items that I’ve read from all over.
Apple tweaks App Store layout amid developer unrest [via AppleInsider]
According to AppleInsider, Apple has tweaked the App Store interface in reaction to feedback by developers and users. Apple has separated the Top Free Apps, Top Paid Apps and segregated it into categories as well.
Apple Releases Firmware Updates for ‘Late 2008′ Portables [via MacRumors]
Apple released EFI and SMC firmware updates for its late 2008 Macbook, Macbook pro and Macbook Air notebooks. ...
App Store changes layout, threat of the fleshy palm still looms
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) —
... that the price appeal of 99-cent apps (which may not be supported by the data) stifles the development of larger, more expensive apps that earn less prominent placement in the App Store.
The issues of price popularity and developer ROI aren't exactly solved by this furniture rearrangement, but perhaps it will let more high-quality apps bubble to the top of the Paid App charts. Otherwise, Apple might yet see the fleshy part of Hockenberry's palm.
[Via AppleInsider.] TUAWApp Store changes layout, threat of the fleshy palm still ...
A slight tweak in the App Store promotes paid apps
VentureBeat —
... . Amid growing criticism that the App Store is catering too much to the lowest common denominator by highlighting applications in a way that the cheapest will be most popular, Apple has made a small tweak to the store, AppleInsider notes. ...
Apple Tweaking iPhone App Store: Good News For Shoppers, Developers (AAPL)
Silicon Alley Insider —
... AppleInsider: TouchMeme's Krishna Vegesna tipped AppleInsider off to the overnight design tweaks, which "accomplished three important things," according to the iPhone app developer. First, he said, Apple now highlights the most popular applications on each category page. ...
Apple Cleans up the App Store Mess
Wired: Gadget Lab —
... over 10,000 apps. Earlier this week, developer Craig Hockenberry published an e-mail
he wrote to Steve Jobs outlining why the App Store's structure is
hurting his business. He said since the only way to receive major
attention is making it to list of top 25 apps downloaded overall, developers feel rushed to
produce $0.99 apps to try to make it to that list. The long-term result
is apps are likely to get simpler and less innovative, Hockenberry
explained.
Apple tweaks App Store layout amid developer unrest [AppleInsider]
...
Apple Revamps App Store To Help With Discoverability
mocoNews —
... ) revamped the App Store to help solve one of the problems it faces as it gets bigger—how do you discover new applications when there's 10,000 applications and growing? According to a developer who had contacted AppleInsider, Apple is now breaking out the most popular applications on each category page, and separating out the most popular Free Apps, which previously dominated the most popular listings, from most popular Paid Apps. ...
Steve Jobs leyó la carta de queja de Craig Hockenberry
Celularis —
... , Apple decidió cambiar el diseño de la tienda con el fin de mostrar una gama más amplia de las principales ofertas en cada categoría. ...
Daily Apple: More Clones, More Stark, More iPhones, More Flatulence, More Organized [TheAppleBlog]
GigaOM Network —
... the things begins on the 20th, and they even provide ballpark figures for the initial run. They don’t name any sources, and I’m definitely not holding my breath on this one.
You Are Now Free To Pull My Finger - Thank goodness. My iPhone experience was significantly hampered when this app was pulled. Seriously, it’s a step in the right direction for the Draconian App Store rules of admission.
App Store Layout Changed - It may or may not be a response to Iconfactory developer ...
iFart And Pull My Finger Battle To Stink Up The App Store. Please Keep These Under Control, Apple.
TechCrunch —
... NC-17 tags, Apple should consider making a tag for ‘Silly Apps’. Give them their own place on the store (perhaps even a Top 5 on the front page), or continue to tweak the store’s layout, but don’t let them overwhelm the apps that add real value to the iPhone. ...
