Posts in news

Apple: No Promo Codes In The Mac App Store

The good news today is that promo codes for iOS apps are no longer limited to the U.S. App Store, but it looks like the upcoming Mac App Store (set to launch in January 2011, even though someone says it may open as early as next week) will be based on a different system. In fact, it appears that developers won’t have the possibility to generate promo codes for Mac apps sold through the Mac App Store.

In the iTunes Connect Developer Guide (version 6.2, last updated on November 1, 2010 - PDF) Apple mentions that promo codes are exclusive to iOS and won’t be available for Mac apps:

Promo Codes button (for iOS apps only). See the Requesting Promo Codes section to learn about promotional codes)

Promotional codes are not available for Mac OS X apps.

Read more

Apple Is Improving Security of Push Notifications

Seems like Apple is changing quite a few things for developers today. First they announced promo codes have gone international, now, as reported by iClarified, Apple apparently sent out a notification to some developers informing them that, starting December 22, Apple will improve the system behind the Push Notification Service to use more secure connections.

On December 22, 2010, the production Apple Push Notification service will begin to use a 2048-bit TLS/SSL certificate that provides a more secure connection between your provider server and the Apple Push Notification service.

To ensure you can continue to validate your server’s connection to the Apple Push Notification service, you will need to update your push notification server with a copy of the 2048-bit root certificate from Entrust’s website. This will not require a change to your iOS apps – this update only applies to provider servers.

Developers who have released apps that rely on push notifications will need to update their provider servers with the new certificate. More info available here.

Finally: App Store Promo Codes No Longer Limited To The U.S.

This is great news. With a brief note on iTunes Connect’s website, Apple informed developers that promo codes, the ones to redeem apps in the App Store, are now working worldwide:

Your promo code distribution is no longer limited to U.S. customers. Promo codes in iTunes Connect can now be redeemed by all App Store customers worldwide. Your Team Agent can request 50 codes per version of your app in iTunes Connect and your customers can redeem these codes in any App Store. To learn more about requesting promo codes in iTunes Connect, see the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

Previously, promo codes only worked in the U.S. Store, forcing developers who were willing to gift apps to the press or users to make sure they had a U.S. iTunes account. Now promo codes are international. In the past we at MacStories indeed had a few headaches trying to explain you guys that, due to Apple’s limitations, promo codes were only available for US customers.

It took Apple two years, but it’s over. Really good news for users, developers and bloggers.

Finally! [9to5 via MacKinando]

“iBand” Plays Christmas Songs With iPhones and iPads [Video]

Here we are again, featuring a band that doesn’t make music with actual instruments, but decided to go the iOS way instead. The “iBand” from the North Point Community Church (website), indeed, played 3 Christmas songs (Carol of the Bells, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Feliz Navidad) using only iPhone and iPad apps.

The result, as you can see in the video embedded below, is fantastic. The songs turned out great when played through the apps, and the members of the iBand actually had fun when performing on stage all together. Crowd was cheering, the video is going viral on Youtube – all thanks to the power of quality music making apps released in the App Store these past two years.

Reid Greven from North Point writes on his personal blog:

Jared arranged “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Feliz Navidad” using the apps, and creating a demo by multitracking them in Apple’s Logic software (though any Digital Audio Workstation would do the trick).

Jared, Eddie Kirkland and I arranged the first song, “Carol of the Bells“. It’s amazing what you come up with when you sit in a room, hook 3 iPhones up to some speakers, and get adventurous!

The apps used in the performance include SoundGrid, Guitarist, iGog, Pianist and Percussions. Back in October we featured New York-based band Atomic Tom, performing a song using only iPhone apps.

Once again, I’m amazed by the results some people can accomplish by solely relying on modern Apple devices and applications. Check out the video below, then tweet it. It has to go viral.

Read more

Untethered iOS 4.2.1 Jailbreak Coming Before Christmas, Will Support New Apple TV

Great news for jailbreakers this morning: the Dev-Team has been busy working on an untethered solution for the current iOS 4.2.1 jailbreak (which requires to boot the device using Redsn0w) and it should be released before Christmas. Last night, @musclenerd tweeted a video showing the untethered method running on a jailbroken iPod Touch 4th gen which relies on the kernel from iOS 4.2 beta 3.

According to @musclenerd, the current implementation doesn’t use any new exploit, but @comex is working on a better system that will perhaps be implemented in the final release. Read more

Hardware Orientation Lock for iPad Returns … As a Case

MacLocks just added what it calls “The First iPad Security Cable Lock”, the iPad Lock - a clear plastic iPad case that can be closed with a lock (same locking mechanism as a bike lock) and tethered to whatever your heart desires with a coated steel cable. In Apple-fashion, “This makes the iPad Lock flexible and light, not to mention stylish, so you can easily pack it in your bag and take it with you wherever you go!” Once it’s secured, the only way to remove your iPad is with a key. The case itself is $39.95, or you can purchase the bundle (case & lock) from MacLocks for $64.95.

Read more

Apple Confirms Devs Can Use The Same App Name Across iOS and Mac App Store, Provides Other Tips

Three weeks ago we reported Apple updated its Mac App Store submission FAQ for developers to inform developers that it was possible to submit apps with identical names to the iPhone, iPad and Mac App Store. Today they’re making it official by posting the news on the Developer News website:

You can now submit a Mac OS X version of your app to the Mac App Store with the identical name as your iOS app on the App Store. Having the same name for your app on both the App Store and Mac App Store allows you to maintain the consistency of your brand and makes your app easily recognizable to customers.

Earlier today Apple also posted a series of tips regarding in-app purchases and app metadata. Apple reminds developers that “there is certain metadata which cannot be edited, such as keywords and the name of your app” and suggests in-app purchases should come with accurate screenshots and predictions.

According to a rumor surfaced yesterday, Apple may be a targeting an early Mac App Store opening for next week. We haven’t been able to verify this rumor with the developers we contacted, though, as no one apparently got notified from Apple about the change of schedule.