Thursday night is the big night, as Steve Jobs prepares to launch
App Store, an application that was first announced back in March, and ended up
becoming a hit among developers. The App Store allows users to wirelessly
download third party applications directly on their iPhone or iPod.
Apple’s newest store will offer over 500 software applications
from a wide variety of developers. Out of the 500, 25 percent will be free
according to Jobs. In addition to that, 90 percent of the remaining
applications will be sold for $9.99 or less, he added.
The App Store will offer applications for everyone, in a
variety of categories: games, business, education, entertainment, finance,
health, fitness, productivity, social working etc.
Also, Apple wanted to make sure it’s customers will be able
to download apps at all times, which is why they made the App Store on iPhone work
over cellular networks and Wi-Fi, making it accessible from virtually anywhere.
The App Store will leverage the groundbreaking technology in
iPhone, such as the Multi-Touch interface, the accelerometer, GPS, real-time 3D
graphics, and 3D positional audio, Apple says, and will be easily downloadable.
After downloading an application, the App Store will automatically
notify the user whenever an update is available. For iTunes fans, they will be
able to shop for applications and sync them to their iPhone, Apple unveiled.
The App Store is likely to become an engine for promoting
the iPhone like never before, and considering the 500 applications, Job’s
strategy is the best marketing strategy he could have ever come up with.
The consumers might be driven to buy the iPhone by a new
motivation: the applications. Game developers are expected to make a difference
and deliver new games that will run on the iPod Touch or the iPhone and bring a
new gaming experience on devices that fit in our pockets.
Furthermore, launching the App Store just one day before
launching the 3G iPhone is a wise decision, considering how well the App Store
has been perceived, how anticipated the 3G iPhone was, and what the App Store
could do for the iPhone sales.
