Discuss the impact of iPhone 5 and the future development of App Store

The iPhone has not only created a whole new market for software and games, but it has also given rise to a whole new media industry. As the expected release date approaches, rumors about iPhone 5 inventory are growing, and the more Apple refuses to comment on such rumors, the more intense the speculation becomes.

iPhone 5 from edge-online.com

Every day we see all kinds of leaks and so-called insider information, and these information are always revealed after careful verification, and technology websites try to fill the gap left by Apple's traditional secretive style. Last year's improved iPhone 4S did not achieve a major breakthrough as expected, but according to Internet news, the fully improved iPhone 5 will be released on the market at the end of this year.

The new model brings new opportunities to the mobile platform, but if you ask relevant business people about their expectations for the new model, you will find that they are only fussy about the hardware itself.

"Overall, this is less about hardware and more about controlling companies' use of Apple's systems," said Lee Perry, president of BitMonster. "On the iOS platform, the App Store needs to be updated. They have effectively stopped developers from using tricks to get into the top 10, but the risk is high that unscrupulous companies will continue to find loopholes. This will corrode Apple's meritocracy."

Imangi Studios member Keith Shepherd, who co-developed Temple Run, agreed. "I think we can make discovery easier, but I don't think that's going to be the best way to manage a store because it's so rich."

To help developers solve the inevitable discovery problem, we're seeing another industry emerging. Flurry and Tapjoy are just two examples of this new industry, which sits between studios and platform owner Apple, providing marketing, research, and consulting services. Both predict that Apple will cater to market demand and provide new solutions in the next device, but even with the newly redesigned iPhone and App Store, the discovery problem still doesn't seem to have been completely eliminated.

Paul Bowen, vice president and general manager of Tapjoy Europe, said: "Apple acquired Chomp, so they probably want to improve their own search function. I guess both Apple and Google will be actively engaged in enhancing the discovery experience for their users. But I think there will be more and more companies like Tapjoy in the future, because I think it is difficult for platform owners to provide effective discovery solutions. The industry will need to rely on third-party companies to solve this problem in the future, and we are doing a very good job of it now."

Richard Firminger, Flurry's European general manager, said that Apple has gradually improved the way the App Store rankings work, but there has been no major breakthrough yet. He said, "The number of installations should only be part of the ranking algorithm. If you promote or purchase enough installations, you can be placed at the top of the list. This becomes a list of who has more money, which is the form of Internet search many years ago. In short, I think the algorithm should become more complicated and not become a game competition. Then the problem will be solved."

So if we just accept that the visibility problem isn't going to be solved, what are developers fighting for? "I think it would be nice to see an App Store trailer," said Imangi member Keith Shepherd. "I hope they continue to improve Game Center and iCloud because those services are very valuable to us developers. It means we don't have to run our own server infrastructure, which is very important for a small company."

“They bring valuable services to developers that are not available on many other platforms – enabling us to create richer and higher-quality works on iOS than on Android.”

For developers, the proliferation of Android devices also makes iOS a more attractive platform. Just like running back-end services, small studios don't have the resources to port their games to more and more devices. BitMonster Perry said, "From a hardware perspective, we are not sure whether the rumors about the screen aspect ratio will change are true. This is another obstacle to overcome because the user base will be fragmented."

Apple faces a happy dilemma with the iPhone 5 (or whatever the next Apple smartphone is). Its industry-wide success has created an ecosystem where companies depend on the decisions Apple makes. By overdoing it with the next iPhone device and the App Store, Apple could divide its user base or lose the support of the development community. Conversely, by boldly pioneering new technologies and features, the company could reach more interesting new markets. As dilemmas go, this dilemma, born of outsize influence, is nothing to complain about.

via: gamerboom.com