How many applications does the average iPhone owner install?
Apple’s 2008 Q4 financial details were released last week, and were all over the web of course. So I won’t go into it myself, apart from highlighting that in just 15 months, the iPhone has grown to provide 39% of Apple’s income, and that – by revenue – Apple is now the the number three phone manufacturer, globally. Wow.
I just have a simpler equation to consider:
iPhones (original and 3G) sold: 13 million
Applications sold through the App Store: 200 million
200/13 = On average, each user has downloaded and installed 15 apps 7 apps.
(Edit: see my comment for an explanation of the revised figure)
I’m well aware that such a simplistic figure ignores an awful lot of factors (it would be more interesting to know the mode), and includes certain people who download a lot of apps. But, it’s a starting point. And from this point, one things springs to mind:
For a per-user metric, I think this average number of installed apps is quite high, and probably higher than any other mobile platform.
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Add voice recording to the iPhone for free
Just a quick one: Griffin – makers of the the iTrip FM transmitter amongst other things – have released their iTalk application for the iPhone. And for a limited time it’s free 
There are a few free options available for recording iPhone voice notes, such as EccoNote and QuickVoiceRecorder.
I’ve just downloaded it and tried out some recording. The interface is simple, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. iTalk also comes with sync software (Windows and Mac) which works over Wifi.
All the download details are available at Griffin’s website.
(via Daring Fireball)
James’ App Store Pick of The Week!
I had not heard of the Tower Defence game genre until I came across Fieldrunners by Subatomic Studios. In short, the aim of any TD game is to stop wave after wave of advancing enemy troops by placing defensive towers across the play area.
AroundMe in the Vicinity of Google Maps
The sheer usefulness of finding ‘stuff around you’ has meant the emergence of several pretenders, despite the ubiquitous presence of Google Maps itself. AroundMe (at first commercial, but now free) and Vicinity (always free) are also well established now, but in the interests of keeping things simple (and reducing the clutter slightly on your application screens), the question remains ‘Is it worth looking things up in these ‘extra’ solutions?’
With this in mind, I put all three to the same tests. Read on.
James’ App Store Pick of The Week!
Welcome to this new weekly feature. Even at this early stage the App Store is changing the way we think about mobile phone applications and in many respects the way we think about all applications. Apple have created a farmers market, a place where even an indivdual developer can make a living from Apple’s pocket computer platform.
With the recent 2.1 upgrade bringing faster and more reliable application installations, I figured it was time to take a closer look at some of the very best iPhone applications available.
X-Plane’s mere existence validates iPhone
I have a confession to make.
I’m quite old. Mid-40s, at least. Old enough to remember the earliest days of home computing. Dragon, PET, Sinclair ZX81, then Amiga and the earliest IBM PCs and the RM 380z, in my case. Then on through the PC’s AT and then Pentium series and through to the Celerons and Centrinos of today. And, on the Mac front, similar progress through to today’s iMacs and MacBook Pros.
And throughout it all, there was one application which validated the platform as a serious computer. And, you know what, the Apple iPhone shares this application. (more…)
iPhone AppStore strategies!
Of course, you may well be happy to follow your nose in Apple’s iPhone on-device AppStore. If you’re anything like me, it’s proving rather addictive. Am I the only one who taps eagerly on the icon each day hoping for new updates, new apps, new ideas? The iPhone AppStore is certainly by far the most active third party software scene on the planet at the moment!
In an attempt to control my own addiction and perhaps help yours, here are some realistic AppStore tips… (more…)
Mobile Me had the Right Idea – but the Wrong Price
Today sees Google, HTC and T-Mobile unveiling the G1, the first Android phone, with (seemingly) all its data ‘in the cloud’. Essentially, your Contacts, Calendar, Documents, Emails and Photos all live in Google’s data cloud and sync in real time with local copies (if even appropriate) on the device, over the air. Think of it as equivalent to Apple’s Mobile Me but taken one step further.
DocumentsToStay
Intomobile is reporting that DataViz is bringing Word, Excel and Powerpoint editing to the iPhone. This is great news, but at the same time, somewhat useless. As James from the site notes:
“If you’re out of the office, no problem. Edit up that proposal and send it back to the office or to your client… Heck, even do it from the golf course!?”
Now if you must play golf, there is already a problem 😉
But the iPhone issue is that you can’t just receive, edit and send documents, because of the device’s lack of a shared user-addressable file space.
2.1 to end ‘killer’ apps?
Do you have any killer apps on your iPhone? I’m not referring to Vicinity, Wikipanion or Twitterific, all three of which I consider to be essential applications for any iPhone. No, I’m referring a handful of iPhone apps that quite literally kill your iPhone.
Here’s how it goes. You install your new app, it freezes causing you to force quit the iPhone. Next time you boot up you’re either presented with the Silver Apple Logo of Death or none of your 3rd party apps will launch! The only solution is to completely restore your iPhone back to factory settings using iTunes, a lengthy and hugely frustrating experience, especially if even a restore leaves the iPhone completely unstable.