Have you been wondering how Apple selects which iPhone applications to feature its latest TV ads, and how a small third-party app developer gets Cupertino’s attention?
Great, so have I. Thankfully, The New York Times has some answers. In today’s Sunday Business, we meet Mitchell Waite and hear how his iBird Explorer went from relative obscurity to the top of the charts.
In April, Apple celebrated the one billionth download from the App Store in only nine months. For all of its success with the store, however, Apple remains most interested in using third-party software to sell its hardware. Mr. Waite said an Apple liaison told him, “We pick apps not for how well they’re selling — we pick apps that will sell more iPhones and iPod Touches because they show off the best features or are something you can’t get elsewhere.”
Fitting that bill is Mr. Waite’s iBird application, which turns the iPhone into an always-in-hand field guide replete with bird calls that a printed field guide cannot provide.
Apple does not accept money from companies whose products are placed in its commercials or in the other prime real estate, the “Featured” section of the App Store.
Damn, it’s good to see a meritocracy in full bloom.
