iCommerce: How Apple Apps Changed the Game

Guess when you have $56 billion and change in the vault in today’s economic environment you must be doing something right. Just wish our kids would quit contributing to the stash Apple is using to buy GPU (graphics processor unit) technology and game designer talent. A few years ago Apple decided all smartphones sucked (they’re not too hot on netbooks either). So they announced the step up from the iPod (they didn’t like those other MP3 players!)…the iPhone.

Make a Call Too – When Apple introduced the iPhone it was more than a smartphone.  Actually it was everything else first and then a phone.  Good move because the company set its solution way apart from everyone else and the rest of the market scrambled to catch up…still are.   Source — Apple

Changing the Game
Then they did something really dumb…gave AT&T a two-year exclusive on the phone. They decided ecommerce was no longer cool and that iCommerce is so much better.

Goes well with:

• iTunes
• iPod
• iPhone
• iMovies
• iStore
• iApps

Instead of keeping a closed ecosystem as they did with the Mac, they encouraged others to make products they would sell in their store. Sure it’s Apple which means:

• works on their devices (iPhone and iPod Touch), their way
• works in their closed environment
• sold only in their store

It also means:

• you use their SDK (software development kit) but heck it only costs $99
• they determine which apps fly and which don’t make the cut (sure fire rejection is something that competes with their stuff!)
• you agree to the 70/30 split (70% for you, 30% for them – seems retail fair)

Developers’ Dream – The new Apple developers kit makes it fast, easy for people to produce applications they can make available to iPhone/iPod Touch customers (once Apple gives its stamp of approval).  Source – Apple

Cripes it seems to works!