App Store

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

App Store (also written Appstore or App-Store ; from the English short form for application [= "application software"] and store [= "business"]) is the name for an Internet- based digital sales platform for application software . The software comes either from the operator of the platform himself, but mostly from third-party providers , such as free software developers and software companies . The service allows users to software for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets , with some offers for other devices such as personal computers , pick out from a catalog and download .

history

In 2008, Apple was the first manufacturer to operate an online sales platform called the App Store for application programs with great market success after the introduction of iPhone OS 2.0 . You could log in with the Apple ID from the iTunes store , and apps could be bought and downloaded directly on the iPhone and iPod touch or in iTunes on the Mac / PC . Previously already one update of the iTunes Music Store come touch as a standalone application on the iPhone and iPod, could be bought with which online music from the iTunes Store.

With the introduction of Android and the renaming of Windows Mobile to Windows Phone , the importance of their sales platforms also increased. The term App Store , which was originally only associated with Apple , thus tended to become a generic term , which is, however, still legally controversial. For example, Amazon was sued by Apple in the USA because it calls its offer Amazon Appstore.

According to a study by the market research institute Adjust, the steadily growing number of "zombies", i.e. apps that users can only find by direct search (that is, they do not appear in a top list), is a growing problem in app stores. Developers are trying to counteract this problem through app store optimizations .

Functions

The offer can usually be accessed via a dedicated app store software on a mobile device or via a website . Apps can be found using a search, suggestions, top charts or a selection of categories. The apps are displayed in the app marketplace with a screenshot and a description. For a better assessment, an app marketplace can offer the opportunity to rate the apps and leave user comments. After downloading, the App Store keeps the apps on the customer's device up to date using a (semi-) automatic update function .

developer

In addition to the user interface for customers, there is also one for providers. Among other things, the provider can use this to upload his app, and to store images and a description. He can edit the payment options and usually receives statistics on how often the app has been downloaded. The operator of the app marketplace also regulates the payment of the apps and the forwarding of the money to the respective provider. The operator receives a pro rata commission, which is often around 30 percent of the sales price.

Distribution platforms (selection)

Apple App Store logo
Google Play logo

The manufacturers of mobile operating systems , such as Apple , Google and Microsoft , each offer an app store for their platform . There are also manufacturer-independent app stores, such as B. the Amazon Appstore .

App Store (Apple)

The App Store (iOS) from Apple was the first sales channel for mobile apps and was introduced on July 10 of 2008. As of June 2014, the platform had 1.2 million apps and 75 billion downloads. In July 2015 there were already 1.5 million apps.

The Mac App Store for Apple computers with macOS followed in 2010 .

Google Play Store

The Google Play Store is the “native” app provider for Android-based devices. It was introduced by Google in October 2008. In August 2014, the platform had around 1.3 million apps. In April 2016, over 2 million apps were available on the platform.

Amazon Appstore

The Amazon Appstore is an alternative platform for Android apps. It was launched in March 2011 with 3,800 apps and expanded its range to 240,000 apps by 2014. Since June 2013, Blackberry devices can also obtain apps from Amazon. The Amazon Appstore is the only sales channel for the company's own Fire Tablets .

Other

  • Blackberry World is the App Store for Blackberry 10 and Blackberry OS devices. It opened in April 2009 with the name "Blackberry App World". In 2013, 120,000 apps were available on the platform. Blackberry 10 users can also run Android apps.
  • The Samsung Apps platform was presented in September 2009. It offers apps for Windows Mobile, Android and Bada .
  • The Nokia Store was an international app store for Nokia devices launched in May 2009 . After only the development of new apps was stopped, Microsoft completely stopped the service after the takeover of Nokia. The app now redirects to the “Opera Mobile Store”. At times the service had over 115,000 apps on offer.
  • The MultiTouch Appstore was introduced by eyefactive in 2014 in connection with the AppSuite CMS as the world's first appstore for professional touchscreens on Windows-based systems.
  • F-Droid is an alternative app store for Android apps that has been available since 2010.
  • APKPure is an alternative app store for Android apps that has been available since 2014 and offers the direct download of .apk packages of the apps and their old versions.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. Todd Bishop: Microsoft: Apple can't claim exclusive rights to 'App Store'. The Business Journals, January 11, 2011, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  2. Kit Eaton: Apple sues Amazon over 'app store' name. CNN , March 22, 2011, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  3. The Undead App Store. (PDF; 3.4 MB) The course for discovery in 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016 ; accessed on July 30, 2016 (English).
  4. Sarah Perez: Zombie Apps On The Rise; 83% Of Apps Not On Top Lists, Up From 74% Last Year. TechCrunch , January 30, 2015, accessed July 29, 2016 .
  5. Shlomo Garbi: 13 Steps To Perfecting Your App Store Optimization. In: thenextweb.com. March 17, 2015, accessed July 29, 2016 .
  6. iPhone App Store Downloads Top 10 Million in First Weekend. Apple, June 14, 2008, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  7. Sarah Perez: iTunes App Store Now Has 1.2 Million Apps, Seen Has 75 Billion Downloads To Date. TechCrunch, June 2, 2014, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  8. ^ Apple - WWDC 2015. In: YouTube . June 15, 2015, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  9. Eric Chu: Android Market: Now available for users. In: android-developers.blogspot.de. Retrieved July 30, 2016 .
  10. Sean Keach: Microsoft says Windows Phone now touts 300,000 apps. In: t3.com. August 11, 2014, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  11. ^ Andrew Myrick: A report states there were over 11.1 billion Google Play Store downloads in Q1 2016. In: phandroid.com. April 18, 2016, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  12. Amazon Appstore: number of available apps 2016. In: statista.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016 .
  13. ^ Brian Burgess: How to install Google apps on Kindle Fire HD or HDX. Gizmag, February 11, 2014, accessed on July 30, 2016 .
  14. Julia Haider: Windows and Windows Phone Store together already contain over 500,000 apps. In: telekom-presse.at. November 17, 2014, archived from the original on July 30, 2016 ; accessed on July 30, 2016 .
  15. Christopher Drummer: Microsoft merges Windows PC and Windows mobile app stores. In: winbeta.org. December 7, 2015, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  16. Built for BlackBerry Apps and Games Get Increased Visibility in BlackBerry World. In: devblog.blackberry.com. July 16, 2013, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  17. Sascha Segan: How BlackBerry 10 Runs 28,000 Android Apps Without a Back Button. In: pcmag.com. January 31, 2013, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  18. Samsung celebrates Samsung Apps anniversary, now available in 109 countries. In: sammyhub.com. September 13, 2010, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  19. ^ Changes to supported content types in the Nokia Store. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014 ; Retrieved January 20, 2015 .
  20. Steve Litchfield: The Nokia Store is no more ... In: allaboutsymbian.com. March 3, 2015, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  21. Nokia Store now has over 100K apps, Distimo says. In: gsmarena.com. December 22, 2011, accessed July 30, 2016 .
  22. PM | eyefactive shows the first AppStore for professional touchscreens. Retrieved May 29, 2018 .
  23. APKPure.com: About Us. Retrieved October 24, 2017 .