Apple Has 'Secret Team' Working on App Store Changes, Including Paid Search Results

[MacRumors]

Apple has assembled a secret team dedicated to exploring potential changes that could be made to the App Store, reports Bloomberg. Among the features being considered is an option that would allow developers to pay a fee to have their apps "more prominently displayed," perhaps at the top of a list of search results. Changes to "improve the way" customers browse in the App Store are also under consideration.

Among the ideas being pursued, Apple is considering paid search, a Google-like model in which companies would pay to have their app shown at the top of search results based on what a customer is seeking. For instance, a game developer could pay to have its program shown when somebody looks for "football game," "word puzzle" or "blackjack."

Apple is said to have approximately 100 employees working on its App Store project under vice president and former iAd leader Todd Terisi, including engineers who formerly worked on the iAd team. According to sources who spoke to Bloomberg, the search team is relatively new and it is not yet known if and when changes will be introduced to the App Store.

News of work on App Store changes comes four months after Apple made a significant change to App Store leadership, bringing it under the umbrella of Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller instead of iTunes chief Eddy Cue.

App discovery has long been an issue in Apple's App Store. With upwards of 1.8 million apps available in the App Store, it is difficult for users to discover content that isn't available via Apple's featured section or through Top Charts, which often favor big name developers able to spend a lot of money on advertising. Paid discovery via search offers another avenue to help customers find new apps, but it is unlikely to be popular with many of the independent developers that struggle to get their apps noticed.

Apple's last major change to the App Store came in November, introducing significant improvements to App Store search algorithms to return more relevant, intelligent results.

Article Link: Apple Has 'Secret Team' Working on App Store Changes, Including Paid Search Results

 

[farewelwilliams]

*searches "action game" on the app store*

"Try Smule now!"

 

[CrazyForApple]

I do not like that idea at all. It should show most popular at the top

 

[ZacNicholson]

apple is rich enough. they're starting to get greedy.

 

[garylapointe]

Isn't everything at Apple supposedly "secret"?

Gary

 

[RedGala]

Let's hope this doesn't kill the indy developers...

 

[CFreymarc]

I do not like that idea at all. It should show most popular at the top

Welcome to the big time Catch-22. To get popular, you need promotion. To get promotion, you need to be popular. That is all solved by money. Get it.

 

[Crosscreek]

The rich get richer and the independents well.........

 

[cambookpro]

Hoping the paid results bit isn't true...

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

A move based on greed and could lead to more dev leaving the App Store.

 

[teknikal90]

A move based on greed and could lead to more dev leaving the App Store.

and going where?

 

[BornAgainMac]

i would like a easier way to navigate thru already purchased apps too. List by category, list free / paid, alpha, not available anymore for purchase, etc.

 

[Deuce on the Clock]

umm no, horrible idea

 

[Weaselboy]

Among the ideas being pursued, Apple is considering paid search, a Google-like model in which companies would pay to have their app shown at the top of search results based on what a customer is seeking.

Hopefully those results are clearly marked as "sponsored" or something similar. Otherwise, this seems like a really bad idea.

 

[oneMadRssn]

How about they just fix the search first. I feel like I always hear about apps that should have showed up in my search but never did.

 

[robeddie]

and going where?

Not anywhere necessarily. They may just decide to use their talents on something else entirely rather than apps.

 

[samcraig]

talk about #innovation

 

[joshwenke]

Paid search results is definitely NOT the way to get apps noticed. It will further the cause of the "big guys" and continue pushing our small little apps deeper and deeper down in the pile.

What we need are people who, like in the iTunes store, find good talent and promote that. Find apps that are actually GOOD and push the bad ones down instead of finding the apps that have the most money in the top of the list.

 

[benjitek]

With a little luck, this will be optional and can be turned off

 

[SMIDG3T]

A move based on greed and could lead to more dev leaving the App Store.

More devs? No. Everyone know apps for iOS make the most money.

 

[skadd]

I want Apple to prioritize apps that has been updated at least for the last 3 years. When I search for "chemistry" I want to see modern beautiful apps like "Chemist - Virtual Chem Lab". NOT overpriced old apps that explains words you can find on wikipedia. Damn it.

If I had the option in the app store settings to exclude ALL apps older/not updated since 2012 I would tick that switch.

 

[The Doctor11]

App store results should be based on the most relevant and popular apps, not who's got the big bucks to buy themselves up to the top.

 

[Rogifan]

So basically Tim and Luca have to show more "services" revenue growth because Wall Street is freaking out over iPhone sales. The is a BAD idea. The developers that could afford paid placement are probably already getting prime real estate on the App Store and probably top most of the charts. This does nothing to fix app discovery or help indie developers. Is this Schiller's idea of fixing the App Store?!?

apple is rich enough. they're starting to get greedy.

No it's that Tim is now pitching Apple as a "services" company to Wall Street because they're nervous about slowing iPhone growth. So now he's got to show growth in "services" revenue. Apparently then Apple doesn't have anything else in the pipeline right now.

 

[Shookster]

More devs? No. Everyone know apps for iOS make the most money.

Relative to Google Play, yes. But indies still make very little on iOS. My company develops apps for Mac and iOS and the iOS share of revenue works out to less than 5%.

 

[duervo]

talk about #innovation

More like spinnovation, but that's pretty much the norm with all tech companies.

Take everything with a huge grain of salt ... That's my default word of advice to people.