

Apple Should Open Up the App Store Database - benjaminwootton
http://benjaminwootton.co.uk/apple-should-open-up-the-app-store-database/

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baddox
The author must not be aware of the Apple Enterprise Partner Feed, which is
precisely what he wants. It is a massive dump of a highly normalized
relational database describing all artists, songs, videos, applications, etc.
I've dealt a lot with it: it's a bit of a pain because of how much data there
is and now normalized it is, but it's extremely useful. I'm not sure what the
requirements are for getting access to it, but you have to apply manually via
email.

[http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentati...](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/itunes-
enterprise-partner-feed.html#schema)

~~~
benjaminwootton
Many thanks.

I wasn't actually aware of this, but it's not exactly as open as I would like.

Instead, I think Apple should to open everything up to the developer community
- a free sign up form which gives you access to databases, APIs, widgets,
social media integration, statistics etc.

My thinking is that each time a smart developer comes along and builds
something niche or innovative on top of these tools, it's potentially another
route by which people could find the long tail of apps which developers
publish.

I can see very little down side to keeping this information under lock and
key. It would really help Apple to build an ecossytem around the app store.

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snprbob86
"This leads to a ‘hit driven’ market which really turns me off as a developer.
I’d love to release an iOS application, but I fear it would be so hard to get
found that it wouldn’t be worth the investment."

If you create a web app, how do you get found on the internet today?

The App Store's top lists are, by their very definition, hit driven. Games
(and most entertainment) in particular, are (and for the foreseeable future,
will be) hit driven.

If you want to make an iOS app that provides real value for people. Go for it.
The existence of Apple's App Store doesn't absolve you from advertising and
marketing.

I've seen a bunch of startups trying to solve the "app discoverability
problem", but the only only people this is a problem for is app developers.
Consumers download the top games from the list, the apps they hear about from
their friends, and the rare app they stumble across by name. You can't rely on
"if you build it, they will come".

There are real problems with the app store. Mainly around search and naming.
However any problems with discoverability are problems with your business'
reliance on someone else's shelf space.

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MaxGabriel
How is any of this an argument against "opening up the App Store Database"? If
search is a problem, wouldn't allowing other people to build their own search
engine for the App Store be beneficial?

~~~
snprbob86
No because the problem isn't searching for things, it is finding things that
you know you want to install.

Let's say I wanted to install an app for Foobaring on my iPhone. The iPhone
isn't the right tool for comparing the various choices, browsing reviews,
reading comments. I'll just bust out my laptop, do some Googling real quick,
make a decision, and then go type the name of the app I want into my phone and
click "Install".

The problem is when I type in the name of the app I want, I may not find it,
if the app is called "Foo-Bar 2000" but I searched for "Foobar 2000". The
other option is App Store itunes:// links.

Having alternative search engines won't solve that problem.

~~~
ericd
A smarter search engine can certainly solve misspelling issues like that,
though.

~~~
snprbob86
Yes, but it won't magically fix Apple's, which is the one I need to use to
install things... Which was my point about what should actually improve with
the App Store...

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danielrhodes
They have opened up the database and you can receive affiliate commission for
install referrals.

Here are the relevant links:

[http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentati...](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/app-
store-affiliate-program.html)

[http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentati...](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/itunes-
enterprise-partner-feed.html)

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timdoug
What about the Enterprise Partner Feed that Apple has provided since '07?

[http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentati...](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/itunes-
enterprise-partner-feed.html)

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jaredsohn
As others have stated, it is already possible to get App Store information as
an independent developer via the Apple Enterprise Partner Feed.

Here is a TechCrunch article from a year ago about some companies (including a
YC one that has gone through a few iterations) that have already tried to do
this: <http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/08/explor-app/>

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jaredsohn
Beyond the discoverability problem, one thing that the App Store really needs
to fix is allowing 'favoriting' apps for download later. This is especially
important for those that are too large to download via the iPhone (although
maybe now that the newer iOS doesn't require iTunes anymore that limit has
gone away.) The current user experience is 1) browse through the webstore, 2)
see something they like and try to download it, 3) get an error message saying
it is too large, 4) forget about it.

Further, it would be great if it wouldn't show the same error message once per
app, like it sometimes does (and again, maybe this has been fixed in the
latest iOS.)

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kolinko
all apps can be downloaded via iPhone, just some of them need to be downloaded
while on WiFi. The size limit was increased from 20MB to 50MB with the launch
of the new iPad, so it's not that big of a deal.

of course "liking" apps wouldn't hurt, but there are already apps that do this
- like App Shopper. It will even tell you when the apps you like are on sale
etc.

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robwgibbons
If you have any understanding at all of Apple's business model, this comes off
as almost naive. As right as it is, at the end of the day this is a pipe
dream.

Every single thing Apple does, every move, every dollar spent, is to maintain
their control. Opening up their database would give away their control.

In other words, allowing third-party app storefronts is exactly why they
wouldn't do this.

