A Russian Went Inside A Chinese Click-Farm: This Is What He Found | Zero Hedge

A Russian Went Inside A Chinese Click-Farm: This Is What He Found | Zero Hedge: "In 2014, we first exposed the world to the 'click-farm' where nothing is what it seems, and where social networking participants spend millions of dollars to appear more important, followed, prestigious, cool, or generally "liked" than they really are. "

Here's why that shovelware has so many downloads and likes.

Apple is making big changes to the App Store under Phil Schiller’s lead | Ars Technica

Apple is making big changes to the App Store under Phil Schiller’s lead | Ars Technica: "We're a few days out from the WWDC keynote, but Apple is already making some announcements. Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller was put in charge of the App Store back in December, and today he sat down with The Loop's Jim Dalrymple to detail his first major changes to the App Store.

Plenty of great Apple developer news in this article.

9to5Mac: Apple iPhone, Mac and iPad News Breaking All Day

9to5Mac: Apple iPhone, Mac and iPad News Breaking All Day
I am now experiencing this myself, and it makes browsing on the iPhone unusable. Browsing to websites such as Reddit and Reuters and others now automatically open the App Store. In many cases, there is no way for me to read the actual content on the pages. You can see this happen in the video above.

This behaviour is the genius brainchild of a web "programmer" aka social media marketer aka the best way to get you to buy something is to shove it in your face. SMELL MY FINGER!

Insights from an app-developer veteran: Think simple, low-risk | VentureBeat

Insights from an app-developer veteran: Think simple, low-risk | VentureBeat - Rob Jonson is a self-taught programmer who has been releasing apps under the Hobbyist name for 10 years. Rob makes his living selling apps (including the best selling VLC Remote and VLC Streamer) direct to customers via app stores.

Weird and small and specific. Yay!

Apple's iOS App Store now offers 'last compatible' versions of apps for older devices

Apple's iOS App Store now offers 'last compatible' versions of apps for older devices
The new app accessibility, first spotted by a user on Reddit, allows owners of older Apple products like the iPhone 3GS or 3G to download a compatible version of an app if the most recent update does not support their device's firmware."

I think this is really good news. I even ran into this problem with Snow Leopard / Lion / Mountain Lion.

Apple Store app for iOS now giving away paid apps for free

Apple Store app for iOS now giving away paid apps for free: "The first paid app to get the free app showcase in the Apple Store app is Color Zen, a puzzle game that usually sells for $1. "

A lot of people I talk to who are using iPhones don't really go to the App Store to browse. They only go to download something directly they heard about somewhere else. Like, in an Apple direct mail piece. Er.

Apple's free promotion led to 5.7M new downloads of 'Infinity Blade II'

Apple's free promotion led to 5.7M new downloads of 'Infinity Blade II'
The success of the promotion was revealed by Chair publicist Laura Mustard in an interview with AllThingsD. She revealed that 1.7 million downloads occurred on the first day of the promotion, totaling 5.7 million by the end of the week."

Like I said before, er, like the publicist said, "The App Store is a meritocracy."

How $96,000 can buy you a top 10 ranking in the U.S. app store | VentureBeat

How $96,000 can buy you a top 10 ranking in the U.S. app store | VentureBeat: "Can you buy your way to the top of the app store? In a word, yes."

Either that or get featured.

Even Apple isn’t sure whether AppGratis actually violated Apple’s app store guidelines | VentureBeat

Even Apple isn’t sure whether AppGratis actually violated Apple’s app store guidelines | VentureBeat: "There seem to be a lot of assumptions flying around about AppGratis."

Basically, the App Store isn't really an app discovery tool. Don't believe me, on many instances I've typed the exact name of an app into the search field, only to get pages and pages of meaningless results. And I'm not talking about Facebook.

Microsoft Says Paying Developers Not Main Strategy for Windows Apps - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Microsoft Says Paying Developers Not Main Strategy for Windows Apps: "In a statement to AllThingsD, a Microsoft representative said that paying developers is not its primary strategy."

$100? That's the same amount you'd get by uploading a $0.99 app to an App Store. Too bad you actually have to make the app. Maybe they would accept a Photo Shop mockup. Which is what most apps are anyway.

Burglar breaks $100K custom glass door with rocks at Boulder Apple Store

Burglar breaks $100K custom glass door with rocks at Boulder Apple Store
The damage caused to the glass door in the burglary of a Boulder, Colo., Apple Store was more costly than the goods that were actually stolen."

Further evidence that criminals are not necessarily the sharpest tools in the shed.

50M Phones and Tablets Activated and 1.76B App Downloads This Holiday - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD

50M Phones and Tablets Activated and 1.76B App Downloads This Holiday - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD: "Overall, it was a very appy holiday season..."

A very apply holiday season!

Apple launches App Store in 32 new countries

Apple launches App Store in 32 new countries
Apple flipped the switch on the App Store in 32 new countries on Thursday, making good on a promise made by CEO Tim Cook during WWDC 2012 that was slightly overshadowed by the unveiling of the MacBook Pro with Retina display and a host of other product launches."

How did you app before app store?