Apple’s App Store a month after launch
For the uninitiated, Apple launched the iPhone 3G a month ago, and with it came a software update for all existing iPhones & iPod Touches (well, I’ve no idea how to write the plural for “iPod Touch”).
This software update was “the big one”, because Apple launched an application store (the “App Store”) accessible to all iDevices with that new OS update. As any self-respecting Apple fanatic, I promptly upgraded my iPod Touch. And boy, am I amazed at this thing.
I rarely marvel at electronic gadgets. The only things that ever really impressed me before were the iPod, my piano keyboard, my HD-fitted DVD-recorder (admiration for that has fallen fast) and my Macs. Wow. I really am an Apple fanboy.
But with the App Store, Apple made the iPod Touch, a previously “ultra cool but not all that super” device, into the greatest thing I’ve ever seen fit in a pocket. Since upgrading, I’ve been keeping an eye on the App Store (inside the iTunes Store) every single day. That’s how incredible this thing is. And no need to jailbreak the device anymore (and therefore void the warranty) to get this functionality.
Before going into more detail, this is what the iPod Touch looks like before downloading applications from the App Store:
(image courtesy of Apple.com)
And this is what I now have (click for larger images):
It is worth mentioning I only paid for three apps in there (iDrink, iDrops and FileMagnet), for a total of only a few Euros.
The greatest downside of the App Store is that you can’t try applications before buying them. I hope this is soon going to change.
So, are these apps worth anything? Are they of any use?
Productivity
There are many, many productivity apps on the App Store. To-do apps are there by the dozen, and so are note-taking apps, and given that you can’t “try-before-you-buy”, you have to be really sure you want this or that app before clicking on the “Buy” button. But plenty of these apps are there for free as well, so I’ve downloaded the free ones and tried them out.
And two of these free apps struck me as very good.
The first is “iProcrastinate Mobile”, which appears as “Tasks” on the iTouch. It’s the first free to-do app that seems to show some real promise, and probably more so than many of the <$10 to-do apps. Why? Because it looks smart, is easy to use, and will soon be supporting reminders/alerts. Once it does support reminders, I'll definitely be donating to the creator, because it will be all I need.
The second is "reQall", which I find very useful for shopping lists, but it's really an all-round productivity app. My major concern with it is that it seems not to work as well when it can't sync with your data on the reQall servers or something.
Document readers
One feature I thought was lacking cruelly on the iPod Touch was the ability to use it as a storage device, which all other iPods can do. But now, FileMagnet comes to fill the void. This app allows Leopard users to put all kinds of files on their iTouch: iWork docs, MS Office docs, folders, photos, movies, text docs, …
Secondly, eBooks. Ah, eBooks. I never got into them, but Stanza has managed to convince me otherwise. This app allows you to download hundreds of eBooks for free (and you can probably pay for others too), notably lots of classics. Easy to use, and very nifty.
Games
With a whole page of games, I have to mention them. You’d be surprised at the quality of some of the free games out there (Aurora Feint, Othello, Sol Free). Because of my satisfaction with these things (and iDrops, which is by far my favourite iTouch game), I haven’t ever felt compelled to purchase the big titles (SuperMonkeyBall, Crash Bandicoot, CroMag, …).
And, believe it or not, competition is so fierce that many games priced at $9.99 saw their prices drop within weeks.
I should mention that half of the games on my iTouch are not my favourite kind of game, but are there for others. For example, I’m no Sudoku lover, but many around me are (such as my brother & sister), so I still tried to find the best free Sudoku game.
Random things
I’ve found that if I ever feel the urge to learn languages, the iTouch is a great device. I discovered that first when trying out audio lessons for Japanese, but I really see it now with the App Store. Many language apps have appeared, some of them for free, some of them at a cost, so it’s worth checking out. I’m keeping the Italian, Spanish, Mandarin (Chinese for the uninitiated) and German in case. Anyway, I should get my German back up to speed.
There are a number of nifty random apps out there as well. iDrink is a very nice cocktail app, for those who would every now and then be interested in trying out or making new drinks, … There’s also the Mocha VNC Lite app, which basically allows you to control any computer, PC or Mac (I’ve had fun controlling my MacBook from my iTouch), just like Remote allows you to control iTunes.
And there are apps to help you use the device: SpeedType and TouchTrain are perfect examples.
All in all…
I’m very glad to have an iPod Touch, and I’m even more glad to have it updated to version 2 of its operating system. The App Store is a real hit for me, and I love it.
Thank you Apple for this. Finally. And a big thank you to the developers too. Looking forward to see what comes up on the App Store in the weeks/months to come…