Apple Appears to Be Promoting Its Own Apps In The iPhone App Store’s Top Charts

Apple Utilising Top Charts Section – Promoting Its Application

Apple has been utilising the Top Charts section of its iPhone App Store, in higher positions than they would otherwise rank, for promoting its application by citing apps like Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, Pages and iTunes. When seen on an iPhone, these apps are perceived intermingled in the Top 20 Free application on the phone, though when viewed from the desktop version of the App Store, they tend to be either not present within the Top 20 or rather in a different position.

This difference could be associated to a bug in Apple’s App Store ranking system though if that is the case it could be an insistent one.It does not seem to impact the relative rankings of several of the other Top application other than Apples’.

Facebook Messenger still seems to be at the top of the App Store, followed by Acapella from PicPlayPost then YouTube and then Facebook. But in the desktop version of the store, a game known as Twist is ranked higher than Instagran and Snapchat and on the iPhone 6s version of the App Store, Twist is seen immediately after these two applications, even when the two charts had been seen simultaneously.

Top Free Charts Listing – Differs from Device to Device

Another interesting fact is that Top Free charts listings tend to differ from device to device Sensor Tower, the app store optimization firm began exploring this strange behaviour recently. Apple’s apps seemed to show up in random positions on the App store app on the iPhone as per earlier findings and at times would remain listed in the Top Charts even after they were installed on the end user’s device.

 The company was warned about this behaviour when it observed that its ranking data was not matching with what was appearing in the App Store. As per Sensor Tower’s data, only GarageBand and iTune U should be ranking in the Top 10, though not the productivity suite app or iMovie of Apple’s. Apple Store was first tested by Sensor Tower on many phones running the new version of iOS (9.1) and has now also tested it on iPhone 6 and iPad mini. They came across the same differences as well as noticed that the problem does not affect the iTunes App Store for iPhone on the desktop.

Device Explicit Charts Between Two Different Models

Sensor Tower, however found that an iPhone which runs on the older version of the iOS software (8.3), did not have the same issue like the other devices. The problem seems to be odd since it cannot be duplicated always. Ariel Michaeli, AppFigures CEO for instance had informed that he envisages the same Top charts on his iPhone as well as the desktop.

Without the official confirmation of Apple where no comment has yet been provided, one cannot officially mark this as being Apple’s direct, manual operation of the Top Charts ranking and it could be a bug. It is worth mentioning that it would not be the first time that Apple’s own apps have mysteriously appeared in the Top Charts on some devices and not the others. Apple has always had device explicit charts between two different models of the same device for instance two iPhones.

Apps on App Store No Longer `Free’

Currently in the app purchasing world `free’, is not always free. Apple and Google have come under the scanner from the Federal Trade Commission – FTC, for in-app purchases in their respective app stores and Apple has settled a lawsuit earlier this year, stemming from children racking up large iTunes bills with in-app purchases on games.

Apple has ended up with over $32.5 million in refunds to customers in settling the matter and is now taking an additional step is bringing about an awareness among customers that `free’ app especially games is a rare occurrence. The company is not listing apps with a `Free’ label any more but has changed it to `GET’.

The Apps that have in-app purchases available will now be `GET’ with small subtext which states `In-App Purchases’. Apple is not marketing apps as `Free’, on its App Store because of the pressure coming from the EU on the issue of in-app purchases and has changed its way of labelling apps in its iTunes as well as Mac App Stores, in a ways that the apps which have no cost to download, are no longer marketed as `Free’.On the contrary, when a user navigates to an app’s page, they are presented with a new `Get’ button which enables them to download the app to their device without any charges.

Free Download – Not Free to Play

With no public explanation made,Apple has gone ahead and made this change, though the re-labelling is due to the European Commission pressure which had warned Apple earlier this year that they could face legal action if their app policies were not changed.

According to the commission, the problem is that games labelled as `free’, could misled consumers on the true cost involved and should not directly market in-app purchases to children or pressure them in asking their parent to fund for the additional features.

Their main concern was for children racking huge bills by making in-app purchases within the apps that were labelled as `free download’ though not free to play. The Commission had stated that more than half of online games in the EU have been advertised as `free’ with many hidden costs with purchases which automatically debits from a registered credit card. Apple does not seem to be the first company to make this change in its approach to market apps which are free to download.

`Get’ Them But Not `Free’

Google too, earlier this year, removed the `Free’ labels from the Play Store, renamed `Top Free Apps’ as `Top Apps and `Top Free Games’ as `Top Games’, though the changes were applicable only in EU countries.

Apple seems to decide on not making an EU specific change but has re-labelled all the free apps across its App Stores with `Get’ buttons irrespective of whether they offer in-app purchases or not which was probably easier than making regional adjustment and is also a little honest about the nature of some of the apps like `You could get them but they may not be free.

Apple’s Top Charts sections at this point of time tend to be unaffected and there are still Top Free Apps as well as Top Paid Apps which are listed in both the stores.

Clashot iOS App Review

 

Do you enjoy taking photos with your iPhone? If yes, then today I have something great for you. What If I say that you can earn a good amount of money by just clicking photos and uploading it to a simple community? Well, this is possible now due to Clashot. Clashot is an iPhone app developed by Clashot.com and works on a very simple principle. You have to just click photos via your iPhone and then upload it on Clashot using their official app.

What is Clashot?

Clashot is an app developed by Depositphotos to help photographers meet buyers easily. First of all you will need to click the photos of the latest events happening around you. Then you have to just sign up for Clashot and upload these photos on their website using their free app. If you are a professional photographer and love to use HD cams, then you can do this too. Simply click photos via your camera and then upload these photos on Clashot using your iPhone. It's as simple as this. This is a great way of getting your work recognized by everyone.

What Happens With My Photos That I Upload On Clashot?

 

After you upload photos on Clashot, it is listed for sale on the Depositphotos website. Just to let you know, Depositphotos is a rapidly growing micro-stock photo agency throughout the world. Now there are many people available on Depositphotos looking for the photographs of the events that you have clicked. Generally large media agencies, designers and ad agencies are looking for these photos as they can't be everywhere in the world. So they simply buy the photos clicked by you and hence helping you make some revenue. The whole process is pretty simple and time-saving. You just click and upload photos and wait for approval. After they are approved, they are immediately listed on the website. Not only this you can easily add details like description, categories etc to your photographs. These photos can be then even rated and commented by other users. To view your current sales and earnings, you have to just browse through your profile tab and from there you can easily get detailed reports of your earnings.  

Conclusion:

Thus in whole, Clashot is a great app that can help you earn some good amount of money by just following your passion. Try to be active, consistent and produce quality photos and you would see sales coming within no time.

Download the Clashot iPhone application and start earning money from today. If you liked this app, don't forget to share the article with your friends.

Ideally - the fastest way to take notes on your Mac

If you are looking for a helpful, nice and simple quick note tool to manage your notes, you've come to the right place. Ideally is the app you should consider to fit that missing gear in a daily workflow mechanism on your Mac.

The app is easy to use. Hotkeys, swipe gestures, animations help you navigate between views that look like a notepad. The app supports file drag&drop, which makes it unique in the family of Mac quick note-taking apps out there. You can also store images and text from Safari and other apps.


Let’s say, you’ve just found an awesome image on the web. Want to add it to your note? Here are the 2 scenarios:


- You can save the image’s URL. Just drag&drop the image on to the text area of the 
note.


- Save this image as a file, just drop it on to the files area in the bottom of the note. Everything's simple and right at your fingertips in your menu bar.

Yes, this is a menu bar app, but you can easily detach it from it and drag to anywhere on your desktop if you want to.


Ideally also allows you to zip, email, preview files right inside the app, which is great, as there's no need to bounce between desktop or file
system.

To keep your notes and files backed up, Ideally uses Dropbox sync which is activated in the Preferences window. Restoring and backing up is a one click action as soon as you link your Dropbox account with Ideally. The backup scheduler is also at your service. 
Even though Ideally has file support, it'd be a bad idea to store big files there like music or vids, which exceed 200 Mb, cause the app is obviously not for this. Another reason against chunky files it that they'll make the BackUp /Restore process take longer than you might expect, but still this depends on your Internet connection. 
Other than that, if you plan to store some docs, images, PDF, screenshots, webpages, text files - it's a great tool to use for notes on a daily basis.

Bottom line 
What makes Ideally really stand out among other quick note taking apps is the ability to store not just notes, but files inside it + Dropbox Restore & Backup feature make your notes pretty much immortal. :) The app updates almost every week, so new features are coming pretty quick. 

It's now available on the Mac AppStore with a 25% OFF launch discount for only $4.99 , so definitely worth a try.

Evoluent Vertical 4, a special Mac mouse!

The Apple Store sells exclusively the Evoluent Vertical 4 for Mac. Little known on this side of the Atlantic, the Evoluent mouse are known for their ergonomics. With their unusual shapes, they avoid the tension and pressure of certain parts of the arm and hand. The subject is discussed from time to time and the use of vertical mouse or graphics tablet against tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. The handlings of this vertical mouse are quite surprising at first, but in use, they offer a more enjoyable experience than the traditional mouse. The Mac model on sale at the Apple Store communicates with the computer using a Bluetooth connection has a knob and six buttons and powered with one AA battery. It comes with a manager to configure the various buttons available to the user. On the other hand, the Evoluent Vertical 4 has LEDs to display the speed of the pointer that you can simply adjust. In case of low battery, they alert you by blinking. As of now this mouse came in black and white colors only

Apple Store: Defence is confirmed and it moves in Strasbourg

Apple is well open a new Apple Store in a spray of Paris (Puteaux), in the Quatre Temps shopping mall for Defence, at the foot of the Grande Arche. Employment opportunities without precise location pointed in that direction in recent months and we had obtained confirmation of internal source in August. This time things are official, with the fresh registration of the new shop. The center faces the CNIT where a large Fnac.

Mac App Store: 100 million downloads

Apple announced that Mac App Store has surpassed 100 million downloads. Recall that the platform download from Apple for its personal computers was launched earlier this year.

The California Company did not give further information about his shop Mac. Phil Schiller merely states: "With over 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store itself as the store software for personal computers in the worlds largest and the one with the fastest growing ". For information, depending on the site AppShopper, the Mac App Store has just less than 8500 software.

The Growth of Apple Store in U.S.

In the first quarter 2011, the Apple Store (physical and digital) were responsible for no less than 20% of overall growth in sales in the United States. David Berman, director of an investment fund with some Apple stock, notes that Apple stores are a powerhouse: their growth is very strong, and evens an exceptional start to the year 2011 that was the way to most traders and distributors.

Thus, in the first quarter, the Apple Store generated revenues of $ 4.6 billion in the U.S. (3.25 billion Euros), up 80% over the first quarter of 2010. The iPhone is one of the engines of growth: sales increased by 113% in one year. Apple has the distribution network and the fastest growth in the United States, to Amazon and Wal-Mart.

The success of online stores and Apple drive is also visible, if not more, outside of the United States. In Europe, sales were up 49% for a turnover of 6 billion dollars (4.2 billion). In the Asia-Pacific, the most dynamic for Apple, sales were up 151% to $ 4.7 billion (3.3 billion Euros).

According to analyst Joseph Beaulieu of Morningstar, Apple could maintain a growth rate of turnover of sales of approximately 20% over the next five years. Despite the potential risk posed by dependence on IOS and especially to the iPhone: Apple works in cycles and replaced the extreme dependence on the iPod with a higher dependency on the iPhone, which also tends to the balance with the success of the iPad - the situation could be resolved by itself as Apple continues its diversification.