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Users Spent $1.1 Billion on App Store During the Holidays

users paid $20 billion on apps in 2015

According to an Apple report, users spent $1.1 billion on App Store during the holiday’s season. This is the total sum spent during a period of two weeks ending Jan. 3.

Of all the days, users spent the most during the New Year’s Day when they purchased apps costing a total of $144 million in just 24 hours. The second single-day record was set only a week before, on Christmas Day.

According to Apple’s senior V.P. Philip Schiller who leads the App Store, users spent over $20 billion on apps during 2015, a figure that is more than double compared to 2013. Schiller said he is grateful to all the amazing developers who have created the exciting and innovative apps for the customers.

Since 2008 App Store has brought developers almost $40 billion of which more than one third has been generated during the last year.

App Store’s success has created almost 2 million jobs just in the United States. About three quarters of them (more than 1.4 million jobs) are app creators, entrepreneurs and software engineers creating apps and also non-IT jobs created and sustained by the app economy.

Besides the United States, Apple’s app economy has created about 1.4 million jobs in China and about 1.2 million jobs throughout Europe.

The most popular categories of apps in 2015 were Gaming, Entertainment and Networking. Of the gaming category the most popular games were Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Heads Up!, Monster Strike, Clash of Clans and Trivia Crack. The most famous social network apps were Facebook Messenfer, Snapchat and WeChat.

This year has been full of innovations for Apple, who has also launched Apple Watch and Apple TV which offered users completely new experiences and changed the way people were used to consume TV content. Apple TV has been launched in October and since then the most popular of its apps are HBO Now, Beat Sports and Rayman Adventures.

When it comes to the Apple watch, users preferred fitness apps such as Lifesum and Nike + Running but the travel category worked just fine with popular apps like Citymapper and iTranslate.

Schiller is excited about last year’s sales and looks forward into the future hoping that this year is going to be at least as better as the one that just passed. Apple products, from iPhone, iPad and Mac to Apple TV and Apple Watch will probably continue to lead the market.

Image source: pixabay

Littlstar Brings Immersive 360 Degrees Videos to Apple TV

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Littlstar brings immersive 360 degrees videos to Apple TV, giving that Siri Remote an even better use: scrolling around to move through the new settings.

The Siri remote touchpad becomes a gateway into a new immersive reality. The free Littlstar app available for download in the app store has a generous offering of 360 degrees videos for everyone to enjoy. For instance, a helicopter tour of Iceland could prove an interesting immersing experience for the entire family.

The majority of the 360 degrees videos might look familiar. If you’re one to search for videos on Showtime, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS, Disney, Red Bull channels, Mountain Dew and such others, they may seem old. Nonetheless, think of the new perspective.

An extreme winter sports video is certainly experienced differently as a 360 degrees video. An immersive experience of an adrenaline rush snowboard high altitude jumps enjoyed from the comfort of your living room. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, with the free Littlstar app and the Siri remote, Apple TV becomes the source for such fun.

As Littlstar brings immersive 360 degrees videos to Apple TV, the blog post announcing the big news and posted by chief product officer and founder Tony Mugavero reads:

“We wanted to give audiences the ability to consume this content from their living rooms and in a social environment”.

That is, just in time for holiday getarounds with friends and family. It’s a win for Apple TV and a win for Littlstar offering the free Littlstar app. It’s also a win for the emerging virtual reality scene. These 360 degrees videos could well be coupled with virtual reality headsets like Samsung’s Gear VR or Google’s Cardboard VR headset. It’s for this reason that Littlstar is making these videos available for mobile apps and desktop as well.

Plug in a virtual reality headset and be transported in a different reality for a while. Nonetheless, Apple TV is also a fit medium for viewing the 360 degrees videos. Other streaming boxes could encounter serious problems in rendering such content. Place your bets on Apple TV, Siri remote and the free Littlstar app and try the 360 degrees videos for yourself.

Photo Credits: Flickr

Littlstar Integrates 360 Videos in Apple TV app

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You will be able to explore 360 degree scenes using Apple’s remote trackpad.

Ever thought how you can get a little more juice from your Apple TV? Well, here’s an idea. Littlstar integrates 360 videos in Apple TV app, meaning that you’ll now be able to access super HD videos via your Apple device.

Apple did indeed promise us that the Apple TV will totally change the way we watch TV channels. And it would seem that they were good for it. Only this time, it isn’t Apple which spearheads the new wave of tv-related gizmos, it is Littlstar, a company which specialized in high-quality videos.

As stated, Littlstar announced on Tuesday that they will be launching a new application for the critically-acclaimed Apple TV set. With the new app, viewers will be able to access high-quality content from Showtime, Disney, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic and Red Bull.

Moreover, it would seem that the update won’t be standalone, but it will be perfectly integrated into the latest version of Siri Remote.

So, what’s up with the new application? Not much, unless you take into account that through the new app, you will be able to view 360 degrees enriched videos from the comfort of your couch. Yes, you heard it right.

Users will now be able to explore the scenes from a video, only by using Apple’s TV trackpad. To say that this new type of technology opens up new perspective is an understatement. It way very well be that true 3-D television is not that far away. VR got it right and Apple has managed to take the first steps towards a new era of interactive television.

In the meantime, here are a couple of hints on Apple’s main competitor in the area of smart TVs. This week, Google announced that its Chromecast will showcase Rovio’s new game, Angry Birds Friends.

The tech giant announced that more Chromecast-ready games are on the way. These games will also be compatible with iOS and Android. The main participants in Google’s new move are Driver Speedboat Paradise, Monopoly Here and Now, Scrabble Blits 2.0 and several other titles including the ever popular Risk board game.

Littlstar integrates 360 videos in Apple TV app and everyone is going bonkers over Siri’s remote new cool features. A couple of months ago, the only device that was capable of emulating pseudo-VR video clips was Google’s Cardboard.

But, it would seem that with Apple’s bold move, the dices were thrown and the game is afoot.

Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org

The Latest Apple TV

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The Latest Apple TV

You can pre-order the Apple TV starting with this Monday and it is quite important that you know what your options are and what you are setting off to buy, if you are interested. The latest Apple TV is set to come out in two sizes and the earlier version will be at your disposal as well. So this is for the first time in Apple TV history when you have diversity and buy the thing that you want and not that which you are indirectly forced to buy.

The new Apple TVs are actually impressive. While the majority of buyers would have thought it a mistake to consider it super special in any way, but it looks like it is worth the buy. The new models have been granted access to Apple TV apps, a lot of favorites like Netflix or HBO Now, but there are extra goodies packed inside as well. The games are the number one phenomenon, especially if we consider the good-looking graphics and the fact that they can use a third-party controller. PlayStation much?

Now let’s talk about the new remote, which is truly a state of the art gadget. Let’s see: you’ve got a touchpad, a Siri button and you can pretty much tell Siri what you want her to do and she will do it for you. Note that Siri’s “extreme” commands can be a little too extreme. If you want a serious or a funny show to watch, she might not exactly find what you are looking for. She is a fan of Rotten Tomatoes, though, so it cannot go completely wrong now, could it? Could it?

Now if you are already considering buying an Apple TV, there are basically three choices that you can make: you can go for the old $70 Apple TV, the new 32 GB $150 model or the 64 GB $200 model. There are all good purchases and they can all fit your needs accordingly. It is just a matter of how much money you want to give or what services you are looking for.

The old TV is just that: a TV. You do have access to a decent amount of apps, HBO Now, Netflix, Showtime and Hulu included, but you won’t be able to play games and you won’t have the Siri button. Oh, and the quality of streaming is just the same. The latest Apple TV comes in with a whole new set of features, new apps and a lot more space, so if this is what makes you tickm you can definitely give it a try.

Photo Credits wikimedia.org

Roku Sets a New Record: 10 Million Devices Sold

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So far, the most popular streaming box in the US, Roku has sold more than 10 million pieces since its release in May 2008. Back then, it didn’t have any competition and Roku was the first Netflix on TVs. Now, Roku is not the only streaming box on the market but it’s still one of the most bought one.

The biggest rival is of course Apple, which has sold more than 20 million Apple TVs since it was first released back in April. Apple first launched the streaming player in 2007 to see what impact it will have on the market. When it brought more than $1 billion in revenue and sales, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook decided that it was time to get serious about it. Roku’s other important rivals include Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV, which are gaining in popularity as we speak.

Although the competition hasn’t yet revealed any sales figures regarding their devices, Roku’s future is looking bright, even though they won’t sell as much as Apple.

Anthony Wood, Roku’s CEO and founder stated that:

“We’re thrilled that Roku is recognized for making America’s favorite streaming players. Our goal is make TV better for everyone and that single focus guides us to create better ways for consumers to easily and instantly enjoy the best streaming entertainment. With the recent launch of Roku TV, we’re offering even more ways to stream.”

According to Roku, an average of 37 million hours of video is streamed using their device every week, in comparison to Apple TV’s 15 million hours. Chromcast has 12 million hours, while Amazon’s Fire TV has 6 million hours. This means that Roku is people’s favorite when it comes to spending time watching TV on a streaming box.

Roku also stated that their device has a total of 1,800 streaming channels, 1000 more than its rivals.

YouTube Is Available On All Roku Boxes

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Roku is one of the most popular streaming boxes available at the moment. It is the box with the most online video content with about 1,500 channels so far. But until now most of the Roku streaming boxes didn’t have the world’s biggest video provider, YouTube. It was only available on the Roku 3 and the Roku streaming stick. From now on, Youtube is available on all of Roku’s current generation streaming boxes. With its latest addition of Yoututbe on all of their devices, Roku caught up to the recently released Amazon TV which announced earlier this month their addition of YouTube apps on their boxes. The only streaming box lacking the YouTube apps is the Apple TV, but we’re predicting this will change in the near future.

At the moment Netflix is the most popular app for streaming boxes and smart TVs. YouTube is on the second place as a research survey revealed. 40% of the people who have smart TVs are using Netflix as their number one service for watching popular movies and TV shows. YouTube actually was in front of Amazon and Hulu Plus.

Roku previously wanted to get YouTube on some of their devices by allowing a Chromecast-like streaming from YouTube’s mobile apps. You just have to press a button in the Roku device and your box will start playing a video stream. This was only available for Roku 3 and Roku Streaming stick which had YouTube apps installed on it. From now on YouTube is available on all Roku boxes.

YouTube Is Available On All Roku Boxes

If you have a Roku streaming box you can add the YouTube channel by signing into your Roku account and navigate to the YouTube channel in the available app store. The YouTube app is supported by the following Roku devices: Roku 1, Roku 2, Roku 2 HD, Roku LT, Roku 2 XD, Roku HD model number 2500, Roku 2XS and the Roku Ready stick that came with some of the TVs. As you know, the YouTube app was available only on Roku Streaming Stick and Roku 3.

If you are a Comcast customer, you can access Fox TV shows on your Roku with Fox’s Roku channel. Fox requires its users to have a satellite TV account or a cable in order to get the Roku channel.

What do you think about the fact that YouTube is available on all Roku boxes? Do you use Roku or other streaming boxes? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

The News Is Out: Google Android TV Is On Its Way

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Just like with smartphones, tablets, cameras, apps and other smart gadgets, the world of smart streaming services is getting increasingly crowded. Last week, Amazon launched their new streaming box called the Fire TV, a gizmo which lets you stream popular TV shows, play games, watch photos and even lets you karaoke right on your TV set. As you know, the Fire TV was not the first streaming box on the market. The other important competitors are Apple TV and Roku. But since there is no party without Google, the news is that a Google Android TV is in the making. The plans for releasing their own streaming box have just been revealed from unofficial sources to an online magazine. Of, course no one is really surprised but we’re wondering if Google will come up with something new in the field of streaming boxes, where there is a fierce competition.

What can Google Android TV bring new so that consumers will choose it over Amazon’s Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku? They all do essentially the same things: they send content to televisions through their channels, except for Roku that doesn’t have a direct channel. But they all have similar features like access to Hulu and Netflix.

Google Android TV – fun and fast, Google Says

The people from Google say that the new Android TV is more of an entertaining interface than a computing platform. They also said that their new streaming box will be “cinematic, fun, fluid and fast.” Just like Amazon’s Fire TV, Google Android TV will have a vocal command support and will focus on finding content easily. Google says that it shouldn’t take more than 3 clicks from the home screen to watching the desired content. That sounds pretty fast and we really hope this will be one of their TV’s highlights.

There aren’t many details revealed about the Google Android TV but we will definitely keep you posted on any updates.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has “big plans” for 2014

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Apple has always been a company famed for its product launches, the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad all were new products built off the back of old and boring ideas, with Cupertino reinventing the way the product works, refining and redesigning until it works just right.

The iPad was the last flashy product launch in 2011, the last year Steve Jobs would step on stage to deliver the new product to the masses. Since then it has been two years of iteration and a redesign of iOS7, the mobile operating system Apple ship every iPhone and iPad alongside.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook wants to break this yearly iteration, announcing big plans for 2014. In his goody bag could be anything from an Apple TV, to the iWatch, to simply bigger versions of both the iPad and iPhone with new performance enhancements.

Whatever the case, Apple wants to break the norm and show investors they are still a creative and exciting company, even without their leader Steve Jobs at the helm. The new Mac Pro and redesigned iOS show they have the flair and creativity for redesign and now we will see if they have the creativity for new markets.

Jobs was always known for pushing new teams to explore a certain market and product and would spend months if not years running through a single product, making sure everything from the hardware, to the software, to the services running alongside the device worked perfectly in tune with each other.

Tim Cook obviously is not this hands on leader and likes to delegate all jobs to specific employees and teams – even with his degree in engineering, Cook is a born businessman and loves to keep his eye on the cash flow, while also trying to make sure Apple keep to their high standards.

Apple TV major hardware revamp could be slightly delayed

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There are rumors flying around that Apple TV will get a serious revamp next generation, but new rumors say this may be a false claim and Apple is waiting for the fifth generation of the Apple TV before they make big changes to the product.

Rumors starting to pour out a few months back, with the usual “Apple is making a television” articles starting to gain traction and some leakers finding news about the plans for Apple TV as it came to its fourth generation revamp.

However, in the past few days news has arrived saying Apple will hold off this big hardware revamp, set to change the way Apple TV works. This will not be the only big revamp to happen next year, with the iPhone and Mac Pro set to be completely changed from a hardware perspective.

We are not sure what Apple is planning to change with the Apple TV. The current design takes advantage of several different streaming and on demand applications and offers this with a small box and remote, changing the formula without adding any software seems pointless.

This means Apple is either going to expand into a new media or change the Apple TV to do more when it comes to television. The first option would mean Apple steps into video games, making it a console and TV similar to the Xbox or offers iOS games on a larger screen, something that hasn’t been too successful with the Ouya and GameStick.

The second option could mean Apple adds motion control or a new user interface to the Apple TV and makes the product come with more applications from third parities. We expect the fourth generation to come with more processing speed and other higher-spec features, but no real major difference to the third generation.

Apple has a pinpoint on 2014, the iPhone is expected to get a size boost to 4.8-inches, the iPad may come with a new 12.7-inch display, the Mac Pro is set to come in a condensed package and the iWatch is apparently going to be released next year, Apple’s first smartwatch.

Apple TV to be renewed alongside new iPads at Apple’s event

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It has been over a year since the third generation Apple TV was released and many expect Cupertino is preparing to launch the next one in the coming month. Amazon Germany and France has just made it more obvious the fourth generation is coming, with the third generation “out of stock” until October 23.

Apple has an iPad event on October 22, meaning they will announce the fourth generation Apple TV at the event, alongside the new MacBook Pro with Haswell processor and some other new product revamps.

Amazon normally runs out of stock when a new product is arriving and we doubt the Apple TV suddenly got a huge influx of buyers in Europe, considering the set top-box is not that popular in Germany and France compared to the UK and US.

Not much is known about the new Apple TV, we may see Cupertino go full in on resolution, adding 4K support like Netflix will add in a few months. We may also see a cleanup of the user interface to fit with iOS7 and some new support for channels.

The Apple TV is still a hobby product for Apple, with the company not trying to sell it out to the average consumer and never running advertisements on the product, like they do with their biggest announcements.

This means Apple does not need to push innovation, even with Chromecast and other media streaming devices battling for market share. Unless Apple makes a big push for TV this year, possibly by adding a TV display to the set top box, then it would be game on. We have seen recent hires from Apple in the TV space, but nothing that really strikes as definite.