Another milestone for Apple: the company announced late Wednesday that it has surpassed 50 billion app downloads from its iOS App Store. The announcement marks the end of a “50 Billion App Countdown” contest that began on May 2. The winner of the contest, judged by Apple to the be individual who downloaded the 50 billionth app, will receive a $10,000 gift card valid on the iOS, iTunes, and Mac App Stores. 50 additional winners will be chosen by Apple…
After Lawsuit, Apple Adds In-App Purchase Explanation to App Store
After adding warnings about in-app purchases (IAPs) to its App Store in March, Apple on Friday added a new App Store section with a more detailed explanation of the controversial practice. In-app purchases are a way for developers to offer users additional content in their apps after the initial purchase or download has been completed. Paid apps have used the capability to unlock new features while free apps have seen great success in using in-app purchases to give users a…
Chinese Court: Apple at Fault for 3rd Party Copyright Violations
A Chinese court ruled Tuesday that Apple must pay 730,000 yuan (approximately US$118,000) to three writers for allowing unlicensed copies of their works to be sold on the App Store. While the monetary impact of the decision will barely be felt in Cupertino, the ruling may set a precedent in China that that could force digital distributors of content to alter their policies. The books at issue were reportedly uploaded to the iOS App Store as standalone apps by third…