Put simply, apps make things easier; they make accessing information quicker and more convenient for the user. The app market caters for everyone, from apps that help you find a bus to apps that let you book a table. Businesses are now putting faith in apps to generate revenue, raise brand awareness and increase user engagement.

Since the release of the Apple iPhone and app store back in 2008 apps have become the medium by which people access information on the move. Most businesses have probably asked themselves ‘do I need an app?’ but without fully understanding the benefits it’s hard...

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There are very few statistics available for iPhone app developers in Scotland. Often, clients will ask “how big is the market” or “how many scots own iPhones” and it is hard to give an accurate answer. Clients also ask about the OS market share to see if developing for Android, BlackBerry or Nokia would reach a wider audience.

Accurate data is hard to come by. Apple only release data for the UK and never break down app downloads or devices purchased for a specific country, such as Scotland. As Scotland’s leading app developers, we thought it was a good idea to...

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As proud Apple and Android developers, Waracle are keen to know how the fight for supremacy is shaping up!

Recent smartphone stats reflect the obvious – the Android OS is experiencing unprecedented growth. A quick look at the numbers reveals that 27% of all recent smartphone sales have been Android enabled devices. The same number for the Apple iPhone is 23%. But this isn’t too shocking when you consider that Android shipments have increased by886% worldwide from last year.

But the battle between iPhone and Android doesn’t stop there as iPhone 4 sales numbers have not been included in these stats. However when this data...

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2010 has seen a number of trends influencing the mobile apps market, according to a report from research2guidance. The main trends are as follows:

Improved market growth: The speed at which the market is growing has accelerated. Combined download numbers as well as revenue of all major application stores such as Apple, Android and Symbian reached 2009 levels in only five months. App revenue for 2010, which look certain to triple in relation to 2009 figures, are set to hit almost $US5bn.

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2010 has witnessed explosive growth across the mobile web. Android has continued to grow, successfully diminishing the market share of RIM (Blackberry), Apple and Symbian. With many mobile handset manufacturers jumping on the Google Android bandwagon in 2010, the trend looks set to continue into 2011.  This is not to suggest the mobile market was dominated by Google, but offered a sign of its growing strength.  In other events, Apple changed its name from OS to iOS, Blackberry makers RIM released a new version of its Blackberry operating system and Microsoft went back to school to create the Windows Phone...

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The next rush of content to iTunes may come in the form of subscriptions for newspapers and magazines. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple is doing the rounds with some major publishers trying to persuade them to jump on board the subscription bandwagon. This would enable Apple to distribute the content through its own portal in an attempt to combat declining print sales and provide new revenue for hungry publishers.

Even prior to the release of the iPad, talks of such a commercial model were already happening. Some of the largest publishers in the Western world such as Time...

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Five months ago, Apple declared that iOS applications created using a cross-compiler would be rejected from the app store. Since the announcement, Apple has eased up and changed direction on its rules.  In addition to enabling a wider variety of development tools, Apple has also published an App Store Review Guidelines document that outlines what iOS developers should be doing to avoid app store rejection. Both of these elements have big implications for iOS developers and as such will create an impact upon the end user. What does this mean for the future of iOS development?

When Apple first launched its...

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Apple has issued an announcement that will please hoards of frustrated iOS developers. The company has released the app store review guidelines, which are designed to assist iPhone developers in understanding why their app has been rejected. The purpose is to allow iPhone and iPad developers to know what to avoid during the development process prior to submitting their apps to Apple.

Previously, Apple has come under scrutiny for being overly harsh, undemocratic and vague in relation to its own policies on the app store. Finally, iPhone and iPad developers will be able to interpret the small print of Apple’s app...

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Gartner recently released a report suggesting that by 2014, Google Android will be second only to the Nokia Symbian mobile platform. In terms of global mobile operating system market share, the two platforms will account for nearly 60% within a four-year time frame. This news follows recent reports that Android has developed a dominant position within the U.S.

At present, there aren’t a large number of devices in the U.S that are running on the Nokia Symbian platform. However, throughout the rest of the world, Nokia Symbian remains the dominant mobile operating system. Key drivers for mobile developers in this context...

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AdMob today released its 2010 Mobile Metric Report. The report outlines the latest data on mobile devices and usage share in the US and focuses on examining emerging trends in the mobile sector over the last two years.The most notable trends come as little surprise, as iPhone and iOS devices continue to dominate globally. However, the Google Android platform is making big strides and experiencing significant monthly and yearly gains, especially in the US. In terms of market share, Apple was the number one device manufacturer worldwide with 30% of all advertising requests coming from these products. Nokia held the second...

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