Apple Inc said it is to start showing paid advertisements when people search for apps in its popular mobile store.
It is also encouraging app developers to sell more apps on a subscription basis, by promising them a bigger cut of revenue when consumers maintain their subscriptions for at least a year.
Apple is hoping the changes starting this summer are to bring in more money for itself as well as for independent software developers who make apps for the iPhone or iPad.
COMPETITION
Consumers spent more than US$20 billion in the App Store last year, but with more than 1.5 million apps available, developers say it is getting more difficult to compete for attention.
Apple on Wednesday said that the new advertisements could help app developers get more visibility for their products.
The company also said it would improve the search tool that helps users find new apps, while promising that wealthy advertisers would not be able to dominate the results.
Apple said it would show no more than one advertisement, marked in blue, at the top of a list that appears when someone searches for apps by name or subject. Google started showing similar advertisements in its Play Store last year.
‘VERY EFFECTIVE’
“If it is done well, this could be very effective, because search is the No. 1 way that consumers find the apps they are looking for,” Forrester Research analyst Julie Ask said, adding that Apple would make changes if consumers do not like the way advertisements are presented.
Apple’s new emphasis on app subscriptions could provide the company and app developers with a more reliable and longer-lasting stream of income, although it could lead to consumers paying more for some services over time.
Apple generally keeps 30 percent of the purchase price that app developers charge consumers.
However, Apple said it would reduce its share after a consumer has kept the subscription for a year, meaning the developer’s take would grow from 70 to 85 percent of the subscription fee.
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