Apple starts to woo its App developers

Apple’s iPhone would be just a well-made phone without the apps that allow people to personalize it with their favorite games, news, business, social and video services. Software makers need Apple, too: They badly want to be on the devices that people carry with them everywhere, especially as traditional websites and desktop computers fade in importance.
When Apple’s App Store opened in 2008, there were well under a thousand apps, and the relationship was obviously beneficial for both sides. But now, when there are more than 1.5 million apps fighting for attention in the App Store, the benefits for developers, particularly smaller ones, have become much less apparent.
“Is Apple coasting on its relationship and lead with developers? I think the answer is yes,” said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners. “Their app store is considered an unappealing experience by many people. Their rules are arbitrary, and they take a big slice of money from sales.”
For a long time, Apple didn’t have to care. But now it faces flat sales of its flagship iPhones, a lack of excitement about newer products like its smart watch and Apple TV, growing competition from Google’s Android platform and the rise of new challengers like Amazon’s Echo device, which responds to a user’s voice commands at home with the kind of magic that used to be an Apple hallmark.
As the company prepares to hold its annual developer conference in San Francisco next week, there are signs that it wants to improve its relationship with app makers. Among the announcements expected at the gathering: Apple plans to finally give developers access to its Siri voice assistant so they can incorporate it into their apps.
Apple’s charm offensive began in earnest in December, after it put Philip W. Schiller, its senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in charge of the App Store. Under Mr. Schiller, the company accelerated the app approval process, cutting typical review times from two weeks to a day or two.
On Wednesday, Apple announced that it would soon begin allowing app makers to buy ads that would appear at the top of search results in the App Store, like the ads already on Google’s Play Store and website.
Apple also said that it would cut its usual 30 percent commission on all subscriptions to 15 percent after an app subscriber had been active for at least a year.
“That’s the right thing to do for developers,” said Bob Bowman, president of business and media at Major League Baseball, which makes one of the most popular subscription apps, MLB.com At Bat, for live-streaming baseball games.
Big outfits like Major League Baseball have always been treated well by Apple. The league had an app ready at the 2008 unveiling of the App Store, and Mr. Bowman said he talked regularly with Mr. Schiller and Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president for internet software and services.
Smaller developers tend to have less satisfying experiences. Loni Schuman, a 23-year-old entrepreneur in Israel, was frustrated by the process of getting her app, Fanify, approved.
Fanify allows musicians to live-stream concerts, with viewers dropping tips into a virtual jar to compensate them — “like a street artist, but in an app,” as Ms. Schuman put it. She planned a June 1 release and had several artists lined up to promote the app during its first few days. She submitted the app for approval 10 days ahead of time to allow plenty of time for review.
Apple’s initial response was quick, but Fanify ended up in an extended back and forth as it tried to address various problems. At one point, Apple raised a fundamental objection, saying that Fanify’s method for tipping artists, which used the online payment services Venmo and PayPal, violated Apple’s requirement that all in-app payments be routed through iTunes so the company could take its 30 percent cut.
Ms. Schuman and her developer had to rewrite the app to force users to buy tokens that they could then use to tip musicians. The app was finally approved on Thursday, nine days after the first concerts were supposed to have taken place.
“It ruined our whole launch,” she said.
Apple declined requests to interview Mr. Schiller or other executives about its relationship with developers. The company said in January that the App Store had generated nearly $40 billion in revenue for developers since it was created.       – The New York Times

Apple starts to woo its App developers

Apples iPhone would be just a well-made phone without the apps that allow people to personalize it with their favorite games, news, business, social and video services. Software makers need Apple, too: They badly want to be on the devices that people carry with them everywhere, especially as traditional websites and desktop computers fade in importance. When Apples App Store opened in 2008, there were well under a thousand apps, and the relationship was obviously beneficial for both sides. But now, when there are more than 1.5 million apps fighting for attention in the App Store, the benefits for developers, particularly smaller ones, have become much less apparent. Is Apple coasting on its relationship and lead with developers? I think the answer is yes, said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners. Their app store is considered an unappealing experience by many people. Their rules are arbitrary, and they take a big slice of money from sales. For a long time, Apple didnt have to care. But now it faces flat sales of its flagship iPhones, a lack of excitement about newer products like its smart watch and Apple TV, growing competition from Googles Android platform and the rise of new challengers like Amazons Echo device, which responds to a users voice commands at home with the kind of magic that used to be an Apple hallmark. As the company prepares to hold its annual developer conference in San Francisco next week, there are signs that it wants to improve its relationship with app makers. Among the announcements expected at the gathering: Apple plans to finally give developers access to its Siri voice assistant so they can incorporate it into their apps. Apples charm offensive began in earnest in December, after it put Philip W. Schiller, its senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in charge of the App Store. Under Mr. Schiller, the company accelerated the app approval process, cutting typical review times from two weeks to a day or two. On Wednesday, Apple announced that it would soon begin allowing app makers to buy ads that would appear at the top of search results in the App Store, like the ads already on Googles Play Store and website. Apple also said that it would cut its usual 30 percent commission on all subscriptions to 15 percent after an app subscriber had been active for at least a year. Thats the right thing to do for developers, said Bob Bowman, president of business and media at Major League Baseball, which makes one of the most popular subscription apps, MLB.com At Bat, for live-streaming baseball games. Big outfits like Major League Baseball have always been treated well by Apple. The league had an app ready at the 2008 unveiling of the App Store, and Mr. Bowman said he talked regularly with Mr. Schiller and Eddy Cue, Apples senior vice president for internet software and services. Smaller developers tend to have less satisfying experiences. Loni Schuman, a 23-year-old entrepreneur in Israel, was frustrated by the process of getting her app, Fanify, approved. Fanify allows musicians to live-stream concerts, with viewers dropping tips into a virtual jar to compensate them like a street artist, but in an app, as Ms. Schuman put it. She planned a June 1 release and had several artists lined up to promote the app during its first few days. She submitted the app for approval 10 days ahead of time to allow plenty of time for review. Apples initial response was quick, but Fanify ended up in an extended back and forth as it tried to address various problems. At one point, Apple raised a fundamental objection, saying that Fanifys method for tipping artists, which used the online payment services Venmo and PayPal, violated Apples requirement that all in-app payments be routed through iTunes so the company could take its 30 percent cut. Ms. Schuman and her developer had to rewrite the app to force users to buy tokens that they could then use to tip musicians. The app was finally approved on Thursday, nine days after the first concerts were supposed to have taken place. It ruined our whole launch, she said. Apple declined requests to interview Mr. Schiller or other executives about its relationship with developers. The company said in January that the App Store had generated nearly $40 billion in revenue for developers since it was created. The New York Times