Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by georgemcbay 5596 days ago
Is discovery via the App Store really that common? As a previous iPhone user and current Android user I don't think I ever discovered a single app for either platform via the App Store itself.

I always went looking for something on the App Store (or now on the Android Market) after hearing of it elsewhere. I suppose I may be in the minority there and I can't say for sure I'm not, but I'd be pretty surprised if I were.
2 comments
BigZaphod 5596 days ago
If Apple puts you on the new and noteworthy or featured lists, app sales go way up. I think it is safe to say that a lot of app sales are driven by discovery on the store itself. As to if it is the majority of sales, well, I have no way of knowing. :)
link
sethg 5596 days ago
If an app publisher wants to avoid all the App-Store-related restrictions, can they just put their app on the Web and let people download and install it through the browser? I don’t have any iStuff so I don’t know the practicalities.
link
georgemcbay 5596 days ago
No, they can't do that. On iOS it is the App Store or nothing when it comes to native apps. (Of course, if users jailbreak their phones they have more freedom to install apps, but I assume we're just talking about the standard OS here).

On Android the publisher can bypass the store by distributing their own APK files. Some carriers (glancing towards AT&T) lock this down in some phones, but by default Android is happy to install new apps from anywhere as long as the user agrees to a dialog warning them of the dangers of running random code they download from the net.

This is one of many reasons I'm currently an Android user and self-described "Apple hater".

link