That’s if you were wondering why the top grossing apps at any point in time appear to be either games or navigation. Seems pretty straightforward: navigation is the “one” product people seem to be spending on the most per purchase and games are simply the most addictive in terms of usage and, in our opinion, offer the most logical ways for integration of in-app purchase – virtual goods, extra levels and the like. “Yes, some more ammo, please, I’m in the middle of a battle here!” refers to a more probable use case then “yes, some more news for 1,99 please, I need them now and have no time to look them up on the (mobile) internet”. But we are digressing.
We just came across this article, basically suggesting two things:
- Apple is looking for developers for an in-house app games product line
- Apple might be embarassed about the iPhone being about gaming that much
Of course, the first statement contradicts the latter in some ways. So what could this move by Apple imply?
Businesswise, it seems to be a pretty logical step to make the iPhone an ever improving gaming device, as explained before. But we all know that the device already is so much more. Smart business models and integration of monetization as well as increasing customer life time value are possible in every kind of category for every type of app.
The only question is: what is Apple going to focus on? It is no secret that app developers heavily rely on Apple regarding technical innovation, app approval and, for that matter, on promotion as well. Making the device and the App Store more and more about one thing or topic doesn’t seem be a smart move – but of course, we’re judging from the outside. What’s your take? Are games going to increasingly overtake the App Store in terms of visibility? Is Apple taking every other developer for granted?
