No More App Update Bump!

Matthew Campbell, November 12th, 2009

Last week Apple pulled the plug on a workaround that allowed developers to push their apps to the top of the new release list every time they released an update for their app.

In case you do not know for the past year most developers have been frequently releasing updates to their apps knowing that each time they would get a spike it sales and a chance to get into the top 100 list for their category. When Apple pulled the plug there was some outrage and also relief.

To see some of the comments on this head over to:

[AppStore] So, no more updates in “Release date” lists?

For me, I feel a sense of relief at this: there is an overwhelming pressure to constantly keep apps up to date and at times it feels like treading water.  This takes this away and makes the decision to work on new apps much easier to justify.  Especially since the massive “update spam” will no longer take away from the attention a new app launch deserves.

That does not mean that I do not feel frustrated at the idea that Apple can change the rules at any time (and often does).  So I hear the outrage, but I also think that it is the reality and RISK that we all face when working exclusively on the App Store.  I believe that as soon as possible it is important to extend your brand to other platforms that serve the mobile world: Facebook, Android, laptop app and so on.

Do developers have a legitimate beef with Apple’s apparently haphazard changing of rules?  How much of our time should we invest in developing tactics around the oddness of the Apple App Store?

Let us know how you feel about this in the comments below!

I think its a good thing but it won’t please everyone :-)

Personally I would like to Apple to structure the Developer Membership so “professional” developers pay a much higher fee (say £1000) but get assigned a permanent reviewer, guaranteed review time and have their updated apps appear in the Release list etc.

A bit more like the ADC membership – the more you pay the more benefits you get.

I think this is a good idea as long as Apple also fixes the release date fiasco. The date used to determine a “new” app should be the approval date or the release date—whichever is later.

I don’t understand the problem. Every other producer advertises their goods in a variety of ways. Do developers put all their hopes on their apps’ location in the pecking order in iTunes? That’s poor marketing practice. Working smarter = making something worth advertising in other locations.

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