You may not realize it yet, but Apple’s newly launched App Store is
going to transform the company again. Think of Apple without iTunes.
Yeah, it’s hard to do now. Soon it will be the same way for the App
Store.
Forget the iPhone 3G, it’s the App Store that has taken the product to the next level.
More and more apps roll out each day — it’s literally like the gift
that keeps on giving. We’re barely two weeks into its launch and there
are already far more apps than anyone can use (over 1,000). But the
cream will rise to the top and I highly doubt we’ve even seen many of
the best ones yet.
But even just gauging from what we’ve seen so far, I suspect that
we’ll see versions of the App Store roll out across other devices in
the Apple product line in the coming years.
First, are the obvious ones:
The iPod
In
the not-too-distant future there will be two types of iPods: Those that
have access to the App Store and the iPod Shuffle. The original iPod,
now called the “iPod classic” will eventually be laid to rest in favor
of the iPod Touch which already runs the App Store. The iPod Nano will
surely become a small touchscreen as well one day — with Wi-Fi, and it
too will run the App Store.
The iPhone
The iPhone will continue to be the hallmark device for the App Store
as its mobile network capabilities allow for access beyond Wi-Fi’s
reach. I suspect that because of this we may start to see some
iPhone-only App Store apps. I believe Apple will eventually roll out a
slightly smaller and cheaper version of the iPhone, but it will retain
full App Store compatibility.
Next, some current products:
The Apple TV
Apps on the Apple TV would be a beautiful marriage. While some people have been dreaming about Apple doing a gaming console
for years, it is closer than ever if it simply puts the App Store on
the Apple TV. Some games would no doubt have to be resized and
re-worked, but the Nintendo Wii has proven that a console not solely
built on horsepower can dominate.
You might ask: But what about a controller? Your iPod or iPhone will be the controller. It’s already made part of the jump with Apple’s Remote app which allows you to control content on the Apple TV from your iPhone/iPod Touch.
Imagine using the iPhone’s accelerometer and touch screen as a game
controller. It’d be kind of like the Wii meets the Nintendo DS
(Nintendo’s hugely popular handheld gaming console with a touchscreen).
Over the weekend, the New York Times Bits blog laid out a pretty compelling argument for the App Store on the Apple TV. I think the Apple TV is in trouble if it doesn’t answer Microsoft’s partnership with Netflix and Sony’s own digital entertainment aspirations with its Playstation 3.
The App Store on the Apple TV would immediately make it a must-have item again.
The Mac
While
it may not make sense for huge applications such as Photoshop or
Microsoft Office, does it not make sense to eventually get items such
as Dashboard widgets through the App Store?
Perhaps a stretch, but worth thinking about would be Apple using the
App Store as a competitor to something like Adobe Air. The apps run so
beautifully on the iPhone and iPod Touch, just imagine would they could
run on a more powerful desktop or notebook computer.
And finally, future products:
The MacBook Touch
The existence of a larger-than-an-iPhone but smaller-than-a-MacBook multi-touch enabled tablet computer is the hot rumor of the moment.
Certainly it would seem that this product or something similar will
come eventually from Apple; and seeing as it would basically be a
larger version of an iPhone, it seems an ideal candidate for using App
Store.
Such a device would not only have Wi-Fi capabilities, but could
possibly use some sort of cellular network as well. Maybe apps
developed for it along with the desktop and notebook Macs would be a
little more expensive.
Apple TV/Mac Mini Hybrid
The App Store on such a device would thrive much in the way that it
would on the current Apple TV, but could potentially have even more
functionality. Imagine if the box had DVR functionality, there could be
some interesting apps for manipulating television content. (Though I’m
sure the networks wouldn’t like that too much.)
The Power of the App Store
Despite Apple’s desires, web app development for the original iPhone
was lackluster. Some native apps on jailbroken iPhones worked very
well, but others were complete crap — and of course you had to
jailbreak your iPhone to use them. As I wrote after it launched,
compared to these two previous options, the new App Store is simply sublime.
It’s so good that I really believe it could become a fundamental part of Apple.
With each passing day I’m finding myself becoming addicted to it in
the same way I was once addicted to the iTunes music store (and would
be again if Apple would go all DRM-free).
Part of it is about the impulse buys. I’ll be sitting on the couch,
bored, and will buy a new game to play. Some are too expensive, but
most are still cheaper than an album on iTunes — it’s an easy purchase
to make.
But the main part is that quite a few of the apps, and some of the games in particular, are just really good. This is also problematic because many are considerably more of a time suck than a simple iTunes music purchase.
I can’t imagine using an iPhone now without native apps. Soon, the
same may be true for the iPod, Apple TV and even Mac computers
themselves.
From : http://venturebeat.com/
