Apple App Store Redesign In The Works?

Roughly a year after the launch Apple App Store, Apple's mobile application market place for the iPhone and iPod touch, Apple executives have hinted that it might be time for a redesign.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said this week that Apple is looking to improve the App Store and seeking out new ways to categorize software, AppleInsider reported.

"As you know, today we do it by type of app and also have show popular apps and top-selling apps, et cetera," Cook said on Apple's most recent quarterly earnings call. "We realize there's opportunity there for further improvement and are working on that."

The Apple App Store has become a cultural phenomenon. In just over a year it spawned more than 65,000 applications and boasts 100,000 developers. So far, more than 1.5 billion applications have been downloaded from the Apple App Store, the most recent 500 million downloads coming in the last three months.

With myriad applications, Cook said it can be difficult to find apps the way they are categorized. Apple now hopes to improve that, Cook said on Apples third quarter earnings call Tuesday.

With more than 65,000 applications, several noteworthy applications get buried under applications with lower retail prices. That, coupled with Apple listing only the 25 most downloaded applications on the App Store main page, typically results in users buying the lowest priced Apps, not always the best ones for their needs.

According to some analysts, the App Store's current categorization scenario has sparked a "race to the bottom" for application prices, which is not helping the store. Essentially, developers are keeping their applications priced at the 99 cent price-point in a bid to get the application the most exposure, which could ultimately result to a plethora of low quality applications.

Cook, who said Apple is not yet interested in changing the application pricing scheme, which is set by developers, said Apple is aware of the App Store issues and is investigating. Overall, he said, the goal is for both Apple and iPhone and iPod users to get the most value out of the Apple App Store.

"The App Store is a key strategic differentiator of the iPhone and iPod touch experience, and we believe that outstanding software is the key ingredient for a great mobile experience," Cook said on the earnings call.

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