Apple has reportedly assembled a secret team to work on improving and overhauling the iOS App Store.
One of the iPhone’s key strengths has always been the App Store, yet in recent years it’s also become a bit of a weakness. Apple’s digital storefront remains the best source of mobile apps around, but it’s become a bit of a chore to navigate.
According to a new Bloomberg report, this disparity hasn’t escaped Apple’s attention. In fact, the claim is that Apple has assembled a secret team to tackle the unwieldy App Store.
The team is reportedly exploring a number of ideas to improve the App Store, but the most prominent one right now relates to search.
Right now it can be a bit of a crapshoot finding the app you want using anything but specific app names in your search. Apparently, Apple wants to adopt Google’s tactic of charging developers to push their apps higher when certain keywords are used.
The report uses the example of a game developer paying to have their card game pushed forward whenever a customer searches for ‘blackjack.’
Of course, this sounds more like a new way to make money for Apple than a customer-side improvement. But it would result in poor quality, limited-value apps having their prominence diminished.
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In keeping with that money-making angle, the 100-strong team is said to include many of the engineers who worked on Apple’s failed iAd platform, and it’s being led by former iAd head Todd Teresi.
The team is also said to be working on ways to improve the browsing experience, though it seems they haven’t been working at it for long.
What would you like to see improved in the App Store? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.