The newest updates to Apple’s App Store (for iPhones and iPads) is said to target developers, as the company made changes to cater to third-party software and added functionality for new AR (augmented reality) apps.
The App Store update gives developers more room to describe their software with text and images. Report state developers often voiced frustration that their software is difficult to find in the App Store, unless users follow a direct link or search the exact name.
Creative Strategies’ analyst, Carolina Milanesi, states of the App Store revamp:
“The redesign makes it much cleaner and speaks to the pain point of the store: You had so many apps that if you didn’t know exactly what you were looking for, it was really hard to find anything”.
The revamp also provides prominent display to gaming apps, which some analysts expect to comprise 75% of App Store revenue.
The biggest change, however, is in the debut of augmented reality (AR) apps. Screen recording has been tipped to help expand the spread of AR apps.
App developer, Adam Debreczeni, was surprised to see how enthusiastically users began to share screen recordings of his AR app:
“I think that’s going to help AR games go viral and get better distribution”.
Apple’s App Store has long been a strong revenue generator for the company – in the past nine months it brought in US$21.5 billion, notching a 19% over the previous year.
