Perspective
August 24th, 2010
225,000 titles in the App Store is a pretty big number, right?
Not really. There are currently over 13,000,000 music tracks in iTunes.
Of course, when it comes to influence and mindshare, apps are more important than music. They’re the hot new thing that gets the attention of the press, developers and customers alike.
But from Apple’s point-of-view, the worldwide infrastructure that distributes this large collection of media is more important than the tiny fraction used to get apps to our customers. As developers, we often become frustrated with the slow progress of this infrastructure. But when we ask for product upgrades, better marketing tools, or the ability to communicate with our customers, someone has to make sure that these new features don’t break other parts of a much larger system.
It’s also important to remember that the App Store is only two years old. Over the short life of this new software ecosystem, Apple has made steady improvements to iTunes. Restricting reviews to paying customers, in-app purchases, featuring apps in App Store Essentials, iTunes Connect changes, and faster review times are all indications that folks in Cupertino are working to improve this system we all depend on.
So the next time you encounter a problem with some aspect of iTunes, try to keep all this in mind. Hard, I know, but your blood pressure will thank you for it.
