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Tag: developers

  • Google Reducing Play Store Fees for Small Developers

    Google Reducing Play Store Fees for Small Developers

    Google is following Apple’s lead, cutting its Play Store fees in half for developers that earn less than $1 million per year.

    Google and Apple have been under fire for their app store policies. What was once hailed as a gamer-changer, and praised for simplifying the business aspect of development, is increasingly viewed with suspicion and resentment.

    Last year, Apple took the first step toward easing the fees developers were charged, cutting its commission from 30% to 15% for developers earning less than $1 million a year. With Apple’s small business program, however, once a developer crosses that threshold, they are removed from the program and charged the full commission.

    Google has now announced its own initiative, also cutting its commission from 30% to 15% for developers earning less than $1 million annually. Google’s program has one major advantage over Apple’s, however. Rather than kicking a developer out of the program once they cross that threshold, Google continues to only charge 15% on the first million, while charging 30% on everything beyond the first million.

    Sameer Samat, VP, Product Management, explained the company’s logic:

    While these investments are most critical when developers are in the earlier stages of growth, scaling an app doesn’t stop once a partner has reached $1M in revenue — we’ve heard from our partners making $2M, $5M and even $10M a year that their services are still on a path to self-sustaining orbit. This is why we are making this reduced fee on the first $1M of total revenue earned each year available to every Play developer, regardless of size. We believe this is a fair approach that aligns with Google’s broader mission to help all developers succeed. We look forward to sharing full details in the coming months.

    Google is to be commended for taking the approach it is. Hopefully Apple will follow suit.

  • Apple Lowers App Store Fees to 15% For Small Devs

    Apple Lowers App Store Fees to 15% For Small Devs

    Amid ongoing pressure regarding its App Store policies, Apple has unveiled its App Store Small Business Program, with 15% commissions for small devs.

    Since the outset of the App Store, Apple has charged a 30% commission to developers. In the beginning, many developers praised Apple’s arrangement, believing it to be a fair trade-off for handling the logistics of app distribution. As time has passed, however, more developers have begun souring on the fees.

    Things have come a head with Epic’s court fight against Apple, as well as Spotify’s complaint that has prompted an EU investigation. As a result, Apple has announced its new App Store Small Business Program.

    The new App Store Small Business Program will benefit the vast majority of developers who sell digital goods and services on the store, providing them with a reduced commission on paid apps and in-app purchases. Developers can qualify for the program and a reduced, 15 percent commission if they earned up to $1 million in proceeds during the previous calendar year.

    The App Store Small Business Program, which will launch on January 1, 2021, comes at an important time as small and independent developers continue working to innovate and thrive during a period of unprecedented global economic challenge. Apps have taken on new importance as businesses adapt to a virtual world during the pandemic, and many small businesses have launched or dramatically grown their digital presence in order to continue to reach their customers and communities. The program’s reduced commission means small developers and aspiring entrepreneurs will have more resources to invest in and grow their businesses in the App Store ecosystem.

    The news is a welcome change for small developers, and will likely help Apple in the cases it’s currently fighting.

  • Apple Needs Fortnite More Than Fortnite Needs Apple

    Apple Needs Fortnite More Than Fortnite Needs Apple

    “Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, feels that Fortnite is large enough and scaled enough and that Apple needs Fortnite more than Fortnite needs Apple… and Google too for that matter,” says Alex Kruglov, CEO of pop.in. “Tim very intentionally wanted to get kicked out of the store. There is no other way to explain what they did so that they can make this very public and so they can have a lawsuit.”

    Alex Kruglov, CEO and co-Founder at pop.in, says that Apple and Google should reduce the 30 percent tax they charge developers for existing in their respective ecosystems:

    Apple and Google Must Reduce The Tax On Developers

    I definitely like the idea of challenging both the Apple store and the Google store in getting them to reduce the tax that they charge all of the developers. There are two potential issues here. Issue number one is that the tax is decided by Apple and Google and can be changed at any time. There is nothing that developers can do because there is no other place we can go to. There is no other way to get on the devices and a person usually has only one device.

    Secondly, kind of similar to TicketMaster in the 90s, when Pearl Jam went against them, they control the entire ecosystem. This includes the ability to advertise within your store to get your app downloaded. I love Apple’s clean well-lit ecosystem. I love what they’ve built. But if there is a bigger player who has leverage who can help the rest of us run more successful and profitable businesses I am all for it.

    Apple Needs Fortnite More Than Fortnite Needs Apple

    Tim Sweeney (CEO of Epic Games) is doing this very deliberatively. There is no question about it. If you follow Tim on Twitter or just in general, you know that he has been on this campaign for quite some time, since before they started their own ecosystem. Epic has its own store and they let developers opt-in to their fee system where they charge 12 percent.

    He feels that Fortnite is large enough and scaled enough and that Apple needs Fortnite more than Fortnite needs Apple… and Google too for that matter. Tim very intentionally wanted to get kicked out of the store. There is no other way to explain what they did so that they can make this very public and so they can have a lawsuit.

    Apple Under Pressure To Reduce App Store Fees

    Apple has been perceived as the good guy. Then on the other side with Google where with Facebook they are monopolistic given that they control essentially the entirety of the advertising system. So where do I think this ends up given the scrutiny that Apple is facing? I think that there is a very good chance that they will come back and reduce the fees and also opt-in to something firm as opposed to the set of rules that are all over the place.

    This is a pretty inexpensive way for both Apple and Google to say they are listening (to developers). We’ve heard the developers and we are going to do the right thing. I’m predicting this but this is definitely not what they have done over the last decade.

    Apple Needs Fortnite More Than Fortnite Needs Apple says Alex Kruglov, CEO of pop.in
  • Apple Will Eventually Fall Apart If It Doesn’t Back Down

    Apple Will Eventually Fall Apart If It Doesn’t Back Down

    “I think taking 30 percent from app developers is egregious,” says Alex Kantrowitz, publisher of the Big Technology newsletter. “It feels like protection money to me. As long as the company continues to rely on other people’s money to make its bottom line it’s going to turn slodgy, slow, bureaucratic, and I think it will eventually fall apart. Apple should back down because rent collecting is bad for its business long term.”

    Alex Kantrowitz, founder and publisher of Big Technology, believes that Apple should back down in its battle with developers like Epic Games because it is bad for their brand and could lead to epic failure for Apple in the long term:

    Epic Had Public Relations Campaign Ready To Go

    I don’t think it’s any accident that Epic went right after Apple’s brand which Apple has worked very hard to cultivate. Apple is a luxury product. What Epic is doing is trying to make this a battle for Apple where it says, do you want 30 percent of our revenue in the app store? Now you have to go from a company that everybody looks up to to a company that owns what it does, which is rent collects on the app store and takes 30 percent of our revenue.

    That’s why Epic has had this public relations campaign ready to go. It’s why it spoke about Apple’s history in the lawsuit. It’s why this was so planned, one move after the other, to show the public that this is actually what Apple is. If Apple is going to take our money they better own what they’re doing.

    Apple Taking 30 Percent From Developers Is Egregious

    What do developers get from the 30 percent that they pay Apple in terms of the revenue that they hand over to stay on the app store? They get the right to exist, that’s one thing. They get quick payments, that’s another. What else are they getting and is that amount of money actually worth it? Would they be paying anybody else that amount of money unless that other person had a monopoly?

    I don’t think it is worth it. I think 30 percent is egregious. It feels like protection money to me. Maybe we get somewhere in the 10 -15 percent range, that seems like the right amount for a developer to pay to Apple because Apple does provide some value. But the number right now is just totally out of whack and it exists because Apple has a monopoly on that store. It’s good that we are seeing somebody challenge what Apple’s doing.

    Apple Is The Only Show In Town For Developers

    Apple is basically the only show in town. If you don’t like what’s going on inside Walmart you go to your neighborhood store. If you don’t like what’s going inside the Apple app store where are you going to go? Maybe you can go to Google but Google is doing the same exact thing. I do think that Apple should definitely charge developers for what they’re getting.

    The question is do developers have any wiggle room so that they can have an opportunity to negotiate with a company like Apple? What Epic is showing is that is not really the case. This is how markets (should) work. You want to have the ability for the supplier and the demander to figure out a price that makes sense versus the supplier just setting the price and your sort of out of the market otherwise.

    Apple Will Eventually Fall Apart If It Doesn’t Back Down

    Apple should back down because rent collecting is bad for its business long term. You have to decide as a business, do you want to make your money milking your asset or do you want to make your money innovating into the future? Right now Apple has decided that it wants to be a rent collector. It’s worked out fine under Tim Cook, I won’t deny that. If you think about Apples’ long term sustainability does it want to build a culture where it’s business is taking a fee off of other people’s businesses or does it want to force itself to invent its way into the future?

    If I’m Apple I’m thinking long term. I want to have a more inventive culture, not a more asset milking culture. As long as the company continues to rely on other people’s money to make its bottom line it’s going to turn slodgy, slow, bureaucratic, and I think it will eventually fall apart. If I’m Apple, the case right here is to back down and think about where I’m going in the long term and it should be in an inventive way and not a rent seeking way.

    Alex Kantrowitz of Big Technology: Apple Will Eventually Fall Apart If It Doesn’t Back Down
  • Apple CEO: Competition For Developers Is A ‘Street Fight’

    Apple CEO: Competition For Developers Is A ‘Street Fight’

    “There is a competition for developers just like there is a competition for customers,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook at today’s big tech congressional hearing. “With the competition for developers, they could write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. It is so competitive that I would describe it as a street fight for market share in the smartphone business.”

    Apple CEO Tim Cook explains to a clueless congressman who tossed a barrage of leading questions at him how Apple is in a ‘street fight’ for both developers and customers:

    We Treat Every Developer The Same

    The App Store is a feature of the iPhone much like the camera is and the chip is. If it is a native app (Apple is the sole decision-maker as to whether an app is made available to app users through the Apple Store). If it is a web app … no. We treat every developer the same. We have open and transparent rules. It’s a rigorous process.

    Because we care so deeply about privacy, security, and quality, we do look at every app before it goes on. But those rules apply evenly to everyone. It is not correct (that some developers are favored over others).

    We Have Never Increased Our App Commission

    We do a lot of things with developers including looking at their beta test apps regardless of whether they are small or large. A (reduced app commission) is available to anyone meeting the conditions. Approximately, 84 percent of the apps are charged nothing. The remaining 16 percent either pay 15 or 30 percent (of subscription revenue). These payments are depending upon the specifics. If it is in the second year of a subscription, as an example, it only pays 15 percent.

    We have never increased commissions in the store since the first day it operated in 2008. I disagree strongly (with the suggestion that we would increase our commission to 50 percent at some point).

    Competition For Developers Is A ‘Street Fight’

    There is a competition for developers just like there is a competition for customers. With the competition for developers, they could write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. We have fierce competition on the developer side and on the customer side. It is so competitive that I would describe it as a street fight for market share in the smartphone business.

    We do not retaliate or bully people (regardless if developers make their frustrations with the app store public). It is strongly against our company culture.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook: Competition For Developers Is A ‘Street Fight’
  • Amazon Launches Underground, a New App with “Actually Free” Apps

    Amazon Launches Underground, a New App with “Actually Free” Apps

    Amazon has just announced a new Android app store called Amazon Underground, and the company promises “over ten thousand dollars in apps, games, and in-app items that are actually free.”

    It looks like Amazon is picking up the tab on some freemium apps and offering them to people for free.

    “Many apps and games that are marked as free turn out not to be completely free,” says Amazon. “They use in-app payments to charge you for special items or to unlock features or levels. IN Underground, you will find 100% free versions of popular premium titles.”

    Amazon says it’s already populated with apps like OfficeSuite Professional 8, PhotoSuite4, Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions, Looney Tunes Dash, and Angry Birds Slingshot Stella.

    Amazon says this is made possible by a new type of agreement with developers.

    “We’re paying them a certain amount on a per-minute played basis in exchange for them waiving their normal in-app fees. To be clear, we’re the ones picking up those per minute charges so for you it’s simply free.”

    “Normally, you’d go to google Play to download an Android app … but Google’s rules don’t allow an app that offers apps or games to be included in Google play,” says Amazon.

    So if you want to download Amazon Underground, you’ll need to do it directly from the source.

  • Facebook’s FbStart Program Helps Asia Pacific Developers

    Facebook’s FbStart Program Helps Asia Pacific Developers

    Facebook launched FbStart in April of 2014 to help startups take off by offering them developer tools and services for free. The company partnered with a number of third-party service providers to do so.

    Facebook has given periodic updates on the program in the meantime, and just gave the latest one talking up its impact on Asia Pacific developers.

    “FbStart, Facebook’s program for early stage mobile developers, has now distributed benefits worth more than $50 million to Asia Pacific startups, $20 million of which went to startups in India, Facebook’s largest developer community outside the U.S.,” a spokesperson for Facebook tells WebProNews.

    This year, Facebook launched its FbStart World Tour across 20 cities where it has been meeting with developers. Events have been held in London, New York, and Mexico City, and most recently in Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Bangalore, and Gurgaon.

    There are over 1,000 FbStart members in Asia, which have apps like Coursell (a lifestyle marketplace app), Cardback (a card management/wallet app), and Samosa (a movie clip app), which the company highlights in a blog post.

    “Through FbStart, Carousell’s team was able to run and test marketing campaigns with their Facebook Mobile App Ad credit,” Facebook says. “The quality of users acquired and cost targets have exceeded expectations with the help of Lookalikes from Custom Audiences of their top buyers and sellers. They also used FbStart’s partner benefits, including Transifex to scale to multiple countries and languages and Mobile Action to improve their app store optimization. Additionally, Carousell uses Facebook Platform products such as Facebook Login, Social Plugins, and Facebook Analytics for Apps.”

    Cardback has also made great use of ad credit as well as Facebook Login and Facebook Analytics for Apps. Samosa was able to capitalize on Parse to power its backend to help it quickly iterate on its app.

    Image via Facebook

  • Apple’s WWDC Gets Underway June 8

    Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will start on June 8 this year, and run through June 12. Per usual, the event will be held in San Francisco.

    Apple touts that there will be more sessions streamed to developers this year than ever before.

    This year’s tagline is “The epicenter of change”.

    “The App Store ignited an app ecosystem that is simply amazing, forever changing the lives of customers and creating millions of jobs worldwide,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve got incredible new technologies for iOS and OS X to share with developers at WWDC and around the world, and can’t wait to see the next generation of apps they create.”

    Updates to Apple OS is commonplace for WWDC. New hardware is a rarer proposition these days. Although, there are rumors that Apple will launch its new Apple TV at the conference.

    If you want to attend, you have a couple of hurdles to leap. Instead of first-come, first-serve, tickets to WWDC are based on a lottery system. You can register for said lottery starting now and up to April 17. If you’re lucky enough to be selected, the tickets will cost $1,599.

  • Wow, There Are A Lot Of Services Using Yelp Data

    Yelp just announced a pretty significant milestone. It now has over 100,000 developers using its API to integrate its data into their products. Regardless of whether or not consumers actually turn to the Yelp app or Yelp.com to find business information, they’re going to be exposed to it one way or another through third-party apps and services.

    “Developers and partners of all shapes and sizes, from tiny startups to Fortune 500 companies are using the Yelp API to help their users make better decisions within their own apps,” a Yelp spokesperson tells WebProNews. “Our goal is to make sure that every developer can get what they need in terms of local search and data to build, launch, and improve their apps.”

    “Consumers rely on Yelp’s trustworthy ratings, reviews, and accurate business details to make important decisions every day – finding a place to eat, selecting a handyman to help them fix up their home, or uncovering the best place to buy a gift,” said Mike Ghaffary, VP of Business and Corporate Development at Yelp, in a blog post. “These days, you can also find the same great Yelp content in Apple products; Volvo, Mercedes Benz, and Toyota vehicles; third-party apps such as Eat24, Microsoft, Trulia, and Yahoo; and a variety of cutting-edge startups like AddressReport, DuckDuckGo, and Wildcard, just to mention a few.”

    Yahoo, Microsoft, and Apple are obviously big ones, particularly when it comes to searching for information. These companies all have a common enemy in Google, and Yelp has helped the others boost their local search offerings to better compete. Search “mexican restaurants in lexington” on Bing, and guess what’s front and center at the top of the page.

    Last year, Yahoo began supplementing its own local results with those from Yelp. As we saw, some businesses were frustrated with the Yelp reviews appearing on Yahoo, and that’s a reminder to businesses that they have thousands of places where there business info may be appearing.

    Apple has Yelp integrated into iOS and OS X in various apps and operating system features.

    Other integrations Yelp chose to highlight are Trulia and AddressReport. Trulia uses it in the home search space. It gives home buyers an idea of the types of businesses that are in a given neighborhood.

    AddressReport provides information on specific addresses including what is nearby, and uses Yelp reviews for sections like “Where you’ll dine”.

    “Yelp is committed to providing a robust and unparalleled local search experience via the Yelp API,” Ghaffary said. “Our goal is to make sure that every developer can get what they need in terms of local search and data to build, launch, and improve their apps. Whether tinkering with a side project, launching a new startup, scaling a company, or working at a large public company, Yelp will be a resource for all developers.”

    It sounds like Yelp has plenty more to come in terms of what services will be able to do with its data. The company says it will be launching “off the shell” tools so anyone can use applicable Yelp data in their experiences even if they’re not technical-minded. I guess we’ll stay tuned for that.

    Images via Bing, Yahoo, Yelp

  • Mozilla Launches Firefox Developer Edition

    Earlier this month, Mozilla teased an upcoming version of Firefox specifically for developers. It’s now released Firefox Developer Edition.

    The browser replaces the Aurora channel in the Firefox Release process, and features will land in Developer Edition every six weeks, just like Aurora. This is after they have stabilized in Nightly builds.

    Developer Edition gives developers access to tools and platform features at least twelve weeks before they reach the main Firefox release channel. It will also include experimental tools.

    “For example, the Developer Edition includes the Firefox Tools Adapter, which enables you to connect the Firefox developer tools to other browsers such as Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS,” Mozilla says.

    The browser uses a separate profile from other versions installed on your computer so you can run the alongside one another. Default preference values are tailored for web developers. Chrome and remote debugging are enabled by default, for example.

    You can download and learn more about Firefox Developer Edition here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mozilla Teases Browser For Developers [#Fx10]

    Mozilla has a new browser specifically dedicated to developers coming out soon. It will be unveiled on November 10th. Mozilla teased it with a brief video on Monday:

    “When building for the Web, developers tend to use a myriad of different tools which often don’t work well together,” Mozilla said in a blog post. “This means you end up switching between different tools, platforms and browsers which can slow you down and make you less productive. So we decided to unleash our developer tools team on the entire browser to see how we could make your lives easier.”

    “We’ve redesigned the browser by looking at it through a completely new filter to put developers’ interests first,” it added. “It’s built by developers for developers so you can debug the whole Web, allowing you to more easily build awesome Web experiences. It also integrates some powerful new tools like WebIDE and the Firefox Tools Adapter. Soon, we’re going to bring you more, a lot more, in a package that you deserve as a builder for an independent Web.”

    We’ll be learning plenty more about what Mozilla has in store in a week. Stay Tuned.

    Image via YouTube

  • Uber Launches API, Affiliate Program for Developers

    Uber Launches API, Affiliate Program for Developers

    Uber thinks that “any app with a map is a potential Uber API partner” – so with that in mind, the on-demand car company is opening the Uber API to all developers.

    Uber is launching the API with eleven flagship partners who have already begun to use it –  Expensify, Hinge, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Momento, OpenTable, Starbucks, Tempo Smart Calendar, Time Out, TripAdvisor, TripCase, and United Airlines.

    The API currently allows third-party apps to “pass a destination address to the Uber app, display pickup times, provide fare estimates, access trip history and more,” according to Uber. The company is being a bit more cautious with their main functionality – requesting rides. Since that action would actually send an Uber driver to pick someone up, Uber is releasing that part of the API “in a more controlled fashion.”

    “At Uber, our mission is to bring transportation as reliable as running water to everyone, everywhere: just tap a button and your car arrives in minutes. While simple on the surface, the seamlessness of the Uber experience belies the enormous complexity that powers it. But now that we have this fundamental capability in place—a capability we like to think of as converting bits to atoms—in over 40 countries around the world, there are so many things we would love to see built on top of it,” says the company.

    To sweeten the pot for developers, Uber has also opened up the API Affiliate Program, which promises Uber credits and other rewards for integrating Uber into their services. Those “other rewards” will include cash at some point in the future.

    Image via Uber

  • Apple’s WWDC Dates Announced: June 2-6

    Apple has just announced the dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, and the long-running event will take place this year from June 2nd to the 6th. It’ll take place in San Francisco’s Moscone West, per usual.

    “We have the most amazing developer community in the world and have a great week planned for them,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Every year the WWDC audience becomes more diverse, with developers from almost every discipline you can imagine and coming from every corner of the globe. We look forward to sharing with them our latest advances in iOS and OS X so they can create the next generation of great apps.”

    If you’re a developer looking for a ticket, check here. You can put your name on a giant list from now until April 7th, but Apple’s going to choose attendees at random this year.

    “Over the past six years, a massive cultural shift has occurred. It;s changed how we interact with one another. Learn new things. Entertain ourselves. Do our work. And live our daily lives. All because of developers and the apps they create. For five days, one thousand Apple engineers and five thousand developers will gather together. And life will be different as result. Write the code. Change the world,” says Apple.

    Save the cheerleader, save the world? Now life changing may be a bit a of stretch (a bit…), but Apple has unveiled some pretty big things at WWDCs of the past. Last year, for instance, we got the new version of OS X, iTunes Radio, and iOS 7.

    We’ll just have to wait until June to see what Apple has in store for this conference. Oh, who am I kidding, let the speculation begin!

    Image via Apple

  • Linux 3.13 Kernel Officially Released

    Linux 3.13 Kernel Officially Released

    The latest Linux kernel was officially released this week, bringing several new features with the start of the new year. Linux 3.13 can now be compiled and installed freely.

    Updates in 3.13 includes nftables, a packet filtering framework meant to take the place of iptables. While iptables can sometimes cause trouble during system updates, nftables is expected to do away with these problems. Nftables is also backwards compatible, meaning iptable users can implement it without much work.

    Another significant update in 3.13 is Linux block layer scaling. This should help the OS better use the capabilities of newer hardware by allowing millions of IO requests per second. In particular this should help Linux better take advantage of the speed of SSD drives.

    Optimization for AMD’s Radeon GPUs has also been added in 3.13. Power management for more Radeon devices is now supported and is now the default for some devices. Support for the Radeon R9 290X has also been added.

    In addition to these larger updates, 3.13 contains many other features and improvements. Support for capping device power consumption, NFC payments, and Intel’s Many Integrated Core multiprocessor architecture has been added. Performance for multiprocessors using non-uniform memory access (NUMA) has been improved, as has the performance of the Squashfs filesystem. Hugepage workloads should now have improved page table access through page table access scaling. TCP Fast Open optimization is now enabled by default and network transport layer computation rates can now be capped.

  • Microsoft to Ease Indie Publishing Restrictions For Xbox One

    Sony exited this year’s E3 with much of the next-generation console momentum on its side. Not only was the company’s PlayStation 4 announced to be $100 less than Microsoft’s Xbox One, but gamers also praised Sony for simply not putting DRM on its console and restricting used game sales – both things Microsoft had announced for the Xbox One. Though Microsoft has since rolled back its DRM and used game plans, a recent survey has shown that the PlayStation 4 is far in the lead when it comes to consumer purchasing intentions.

    With that huge deficit to make up in the mind of consumers, Microsoft this week announced that it will also be rolling back its strict indie game publishing policies. Microsoft Xbox VP Marc Whitten has stated that independent game developers will be able to publish on the Xbox One without the need for a larger publisher. The policy for the Xbox One requires indie devs to partner with a major publisher, then wait for a one of a limited number of release day spots. From Whitten’s statement:

    Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE. We’ll have more details on the program and the timeline at Gamescom in August.

    According to a Game Informer report, every retail Xbox One will also be capable of becoming a developer kit. The feature is one that has not been announced for the PlayStation 4, and one that should help cut costs for developers.

    The move is another by Microsoft to counter the good press the PlayStation 4 is getting over the Xbox One. Sony had devoted large chunks of both its February PlayStation 4 announcement and its big E3 presentation to indie games and developers.

  • App Translations Boost Online Sales

    A recent study from an online translation firm, determined that most applications developed anywhere in the world are written in English even when the developers are not from English speaking countries. 40% of the surveyed translations were general business applications, 30% were games (excluding gambling), and the remaining 30% were applications from different categories.

    App developers generally cater to specific markets, so they translate their applications into the main languages of their target market. For instance, developers targeting the South American market (about 40% of the translated applications) translate their applications into Latin America Spanish and to Brazilian Portuguese. Developers targeting the European market (35% of the translated applications) translate their applications into German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Russian. Applications targeted at East Asian markets (about 20% of the applications) are translated into Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hindi. Finally, about 15% of applications are translated into Scandinavian languages including Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish.

    Other markets, such as the huge market of Arabic speakers, are still untapped by application developers, mainly because the business potential in these markets is low, despite the enormous number of potential users. Some languages, like Arabic or Hebrew, require adapting the application to display right-to-left text, and this requirement, which entails more development time and higher costs, discourages many application developers.

    Google recently selected One Hour Translation as a translation provider for the Android applications market. According to the company’s VP of Marketing, Mr. Yaron Kaufman, “43% of the successful applications are translated into additional languages, besides English.”

    The group found that translating applications into leading languages leads to a five-fold increase in the number of users and purchases. They have found that for most developers, application translation is one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to raise the number of users and to boost purchases. It makes more sense to put outsourced effort into putting an application already on the market into other languages than to build a new app.

  • Apple’s WWDC Gets Its Own App with Session Videos

    Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off in exactly one week from today, and Apple has just released a new app that not only helps those who are attending the event but also provides content for those who can’t make it.

    For all registered Apple developers, the new WWDC app will provide free streaming session videos. They will also be available on the web.

    Here’s what Apple’s offering attendees with the new app:

    • Browse times, locations, and descriptions for sessions, labs, and special events
    • Mark schedule items as favorites with a simple double-tap
    • Watch session videos, available daily
    • Start watching on one iOS device, and pick up where you left off on another
    • Keep up with the latest news, get important notifications, and see daily snapshots
    • View maps to find your way around Moscone West
    • Provide feedback on session content and speakers within the session details view
    • Add your attendee information to Passbook for speedier on-site registration

    WWDC begins on June 10th and will run through June 14th. Apple is set to reveal “the future of iOS and OS X” and possibly a new internet radio service.

    “We look forward to gathering at WWDC 2013 with the incredible community of iOS and OS X developers,” said Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps. We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.”

    You can download the WWDC app over at the App Store today.

  • Unity Game Engine to End Flash Support

    It appears that Apple has been right all along that Flash is not the future of the web. Unity this week announced that it will be phasing out support for Adobe Flash development.

    Unity is a multi-platform game engine that is capable of producing games for consoles, PCs, touch devices, and the web. In particular, the engine has been used to create some of the most popular mobile games in recent years, such as Rovio’s Bad Piggies.

    David Helgason, CEO of Unity, announced in a blog post on Tuesday that the company has stopped selling Flash development licenses.

    Unity will continue to support its existing Flash customers “throughout the 4.x cycle.” Bug fixes will be made in future Unity 4.x iterations, but further development for the Unity engine on the platform has ceased.

    The decision was made, Helgason stated, because of Adobe. Helgason called recent versions of Flash unstable and stated that, “We don’t see Adobe being firmly committed to the future development of Flash.” He also pointed out that Adobe has cancelled the Flash Player Next project.

    Instead of Flash, Unity will be concentrating its development on its own Unity Web Player. Helgason stated that the Unity Web Player is installed on over 200 million computers and is used by one-third of all “Facebook gamers.”

  • Apple’s WWDC Kicks Off June 10th, To Focus on ‘Future of iOS and OS X’

    Apple has just announced that it’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin this year on June 10th and run through June 14th. It’ll take place at San francisco’s Moscone West.

    Tickets go on sale tomorrow, April 25th, at 10 am PT. You can find information about that here. It’s important to note that to buy a ticket, you have to be a member of iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or the Mac Developer Program as of the time of today’s announcement. The tickets start at $1,599.

    “We look forward to gathering at WWDC 2013 with the incredible community of iOS and OS X developers,” said Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps. We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.”

    WWDC will feature over 100 technical sessions from over 1,000 Apple engineers.

    Here’s what’s on the schedule for the event so far:

    • More than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of topics for developing, deploying and integrating the latest iOS and OS X technologies;
    • more than 1,000 Apple engineers supporting over 100 hands-on labs and events to provide developers with code-level assistance, insight into optimal development techniques and guidance on how they can make the most of iOS and OS X technologies in their apps;
    • the latest innovations, features and capabilities of iOS and OS X, and how to enhance an app’s functionality, performance, quality and design;
    • the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iOS and OS X developers from around the world—last year more than 60 countries were represented;
    • engaging and inspirational lunchtime sessions with leading minds and influencers from the worlds of technology, science and entertainment; and
    • Apple Design Awards which recognize iPhone®, iPad® and Mac apps that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design.

    At last year’s WWDC, Apple pulled the lid off OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6.

  • Google Drive SDK Team Answers Your Questions

    Are you one of the many developers that create apps for Google Drive? If so, you’re in luck. The development team behind the SDK recently held a hangout to answer the questions that developers have posed to them on Google+.

    If your question didn’t get answered, you can pose it again in the new Google Drive developers community on Google+. The team at Google is keeping an eye on the community and the moderators are already answering questions.

    You can check out the original Google+ post below.

    Steven Bazyl

    Steven Bazyl3 days ago

    For Thursday's GDL, we'll be answering questions or discussing topics posted here.

    – If you have a question or topic you'd like us to talk about, let us know by commenting on this post.
    – If you like somebody else's question, +1 it.

    We'll take the most popular & relevant comments and discuss them on Thursday!

      2    7 Powered by socialditto

  • Apple Bans “Memory” from App Store, Cites German Trademark [REPORT]

    If you’re currently developing an app for Apple’s App Store, you may want to refrain from including the word “memory” in the title. It may save you a major headache down the road.

    According to a report from Gamasutra, Apple is sending out notices to some app developers that let them know that their games or apps with the word “memory” in the title have to be changed or they have to go.

    Apparently, Apple is sending these requests at the behest of a German game maker called Ravensburger, who claims that they hold the trademark on the word “memory” in many European countries (and some in other parts of the world).

    Those countries include: Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Equador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.

    Of course, their trademark (granted it’s legit) doesn’t pull any weight in the United States. But any app in the App Store that is available to an international audience would be affected by it.

    And there are plenty of apps that fit the bill. If you search the App Store for apps containing the word “memory,” you’ll find that it’s a fairly popular term within the ecosystem. I was able to spot over 50 without really diving too deep into it.

    Ravensburger offers a card game simply called “Memory,” which is similar to the paired match game that we’re all familiar with. They also offer branded versions of the game included Toy Story Memory, Winnie the Pooh Memory, and Hello Kitty Memory.