The launch of the 3G iPhone in July is still stealing the headlines, and even I am not immune; this month I am taking a look at that Aladdin’s Cave known as the iPhone Application store online.
I have visited the site on the day it launched, and I have to say some of the app’s available are pretty impressive. From cool games, to maps and GPS products such as tracking, and even eBay auctions through the phone, Apple seems to have caught onto the fact that applications are definitely the way forward whether for consumers or for business.
Shop till you drop
Downloading applications to your 3G iPhone is easy. Just tap the App Store icon, browse whatever categories you are interested in, then download your purchases wirelessly, and in 200 cases, free. Once you own an application the App Store automatically notifies you when an update becomes available so there’s no need to keep returning. You can even shop for applications on iTunes, then sync them to your iPhone. Simple.
Super Monkey Balls!
This is a mobile gaming console that responds to your movements. Now that iPhone gives you tap-and-tilt games like Super Monkey Ball, everyone with a 3G iPhone can lurch around at their local bus stop looking like a nutter. Fantastic! The online demo is great fun and worth looking at even if you don’t
have the iPhone. Although by the end of it, you will want one…
Something for everyone
No matter what you’re interested in, whether it be gaming, chatting, social networking, travelling, news, sports, finance, or business, there are bound to be iPhone applications made especially for it. And since developers are always creating new applications, there is always more for you to discover, and more that your iPhone can do.
Those developers working with Apple really seem to have put a lot of thought into the Application Store and if you have one of the new 3G iPhone’s, then I think that this will prove to be an added selling point to the customer.
But not a cash cow
The only negative point that I can see is that as usual with iPhone and iTunes, there is no added value for applications to the dealer in that there are no additional commissions. Having said that, if App Store increases the number of sales of the iPhone for dealers, then at least the initial contract value will be better.
From the consumers side it really can be a one stop shop for nearly all your needs, as there are somewhere around 800 different applications available through the site. As I said it has to be worth having a look at the site when choosing a phone.
For all dealers I would recommend looking at the site to crib up on exactly what is available. With over 800 applications available, I have not even scratched the surface with this review. www.apple.com/iphone/appstore/
Website: www.apple.com/iphone/appstore/ |