With the surge in demand for apps on iTunes, plus the price increase on many iOS apps, consumers may soon opt for other options. So Apple is kind of giving back to consumers as it launches Volume Apps for businesses.
Apple already has volume app purchasing programs in place for educational institutions, but this is the first time it has extended a similar program to businesses. The Volume Purchase Program won’t have an “app store” in the traditional sense – that is, a downloadable client for the desktop or a mobile app available the iPhone or iPad, but will operate as a private website available only to select, pre-enrolled business customers.
To be able to use this, consumers would have to provide a Dun & Bradstreet (D-U-N-S) number for the company, the business contact info and a valid business address that matches what D&B has on file.
So with Apple dominating in every aspect of the app enterprise, what are third-party developers doing to cope? Some developers are hosting app hubs that feature app bundles at a more reasonable price point than Apple. Aside from this, security issues are also being addressed as the surge of app developers and consumers continue to rise. AppSense is one company looking at this issue, with a recent update set to strike a balance between the enterprise and the end user.
With more and more app hubs becoming available to non-Apple users, this could mean low revenue for Apple in the future. Though as of now, Apple seems to be the marketplace of choice for most people, but with today’s technology, someone will come up with a better product, at least as far as app marketplaces go. Already some companies are vying for the business world’s attention when it comes to the mobile app economy. Cisco’s Cius tablet will feature its own market, while companies like Zenprise combine third party app stores with enterprise-level security.
[...] Apple’s App Store reigns in this space, and has altered the economics of software distribution and monetization. However, the present-day scenario sees more and more companies that are creating specialized hubs for Android Apps that work on their devices, or their own apps that work on an Android device. Developers’ love for Android apps may be brought about by a more promising interface and wider public reception. A recent report says that the Android Market is poised to overtake the Apple App Store by 2012. Amidst the security debacle, Google’s favorite mobile platform is even getting competitive in the personal cloud and media arena, recently dubbed an iTunes competitor with the release of the new and improved Android Market. [...]
[...] introduction of the new iMac shows that Apple is still keen on attracting education customers, which is a great way of getting its product in the [...]