Bill Gates Still Richest American, Steve Jobs Ranks at No. 39→

Bill Gates Still Richest American, Steve Jobs Ranks at No. 39

From the press release about Forbes’ annual list of 400 Richest Americans: [via]

Bill Gates (No. 1) retains his top spot on Forbes’ 2011 ranking of the richest people in America (“The Richest People In America,” p. 39 and p. 210) with $59 billion, followed by Warren Buffett (No. 2) with $39 billion and Larry Ellison (No. 3) with $33 billion. George Soros (No. 7) joins the Top 10 for the first time, with $22 billion, and is one of several of the 27 hedge fund managers – 7% of the Forbes 400 – featured in “Hedged Fortunes,” p. 82.

Former Apple CEO and now Chairman of the Board Steve Jobs ranked at #39 with $7 billion. Jobs ranked at No. 42 last year with $0.9 billion less; globally, Forbes ranked Steve Jobs at #110 earlier this year. Also seen in this year’s list: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (#13), Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (#14). Zuckerberg is this year’s “biggest dollar gainer” by adding $10.6 billion in the past 12 months. Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page ranked both at No. 15 with $16.7 billion each.

Forbes has a complete analysis of their list here. Combined, the nation’s wealthiest are worth $1.53 trillion.

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FaceMan, Unofficial Photo Booth for iPhone, Gets 3.0 Update

Here’s a fun app that, for some reason, Apple still hasn’t delivered to iPhone and iPod touch users. FaceMan, created by fellow Italian developer Libero Spagnolini, is an unofficial alternative to Apple’s Photo Booth, which allows users to apply funny effects and distortions to their faces in real-time using the iPhone’s rear or front-facing camera. I first reviewed the app in January, but since then lots of work has been put into FaceMan – and a major 3.0 update released today adds a completely redesigned UI, a faster engine, and many optimizations to the code.

The new FaceMan lets you scroll between effects at the bottom (with live previews both on the effect’s thumbnail, and the bigger camera view at the top), and swipe vertically to change between effects, camera controls, and intensity slider. A new effect has been added, camera controls now rotate properly in landscape mode, and recording performance (FaceMan does both photos and videos) has been improved by 200%, the developer says. I haven’t been able to verify such percentage, but it’s clear FaceTime 3.0 is faster than the previous version on the same hardware (my iPhone 4). The app runs on the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4th generation, too, and requires iOS 4.1 or later. I have tested the app on iOS 5 beta 7, and it worked with no issues, although the developer told me more iOS 5-related fixes are on their way.

It’s not completely clear to me why wouldn’t Apple create a simpler port of Photo Booth for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software was previewed at the March 2 event as an addition to iOS for the iPad 2, and has proven to be a fun and delightful way to snap and share silly pictures with friends and family. The iPad 2 runs on Apple’s faster A5 processor, however, so that might be the reason why Apple’s official Photo Booth app hasn’t made it to existing A4-based hardware yet.

Still, FaceMan works nicely on the iPhone 4, and the new interface is fast and fluid at applying and switching between effects. If you’re looking for a Photo Booth alternative now, you should give FaceMan a try. It’s only $0.99 on the App Store.

Apple’s Next Keynote Scheduled for October 4?

According to AllThingsD, Apple’s next media event – where the company is set to officially unveil the next-generation iPhone – will be held on Tuesday, October 4th.

That’s the day Apple is currently expected to hold its next big media event, according to sources close to the situation, where the tech giant will unveil the next iteration of its popular iPhone.

AllThingsD previously claimed the new iPhone would be announced in mid-October, and whilst Apple hasn’t publicly disclosed plans of any new iPhone or device in any time frame, the timeline seems likely at this point. Apple usually sends invites to the press a week ahead of the event, and multiple rumors are suggesting iOS 5 – which the iPhone 5 will likely run out of the box, like new Macs come with Lion pre-installed – is approaching the GM status by the end of this week.

AllThingsD also claims newly-appointed CEO Tim Cook will preside over the event, and that the plan is to release the iPhone 5 a few weeks after the announcement. Previous rumors pointed at the next iPhone being available on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint in the United States in mid-October.

Update: The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, who has a solid track record when it comes to Apple news and rumors, has commented on AllThingsD’s article with a single “Yep”, suggesting that the original report is indeed accurate.

In-App Purchase Revenue Growing as Developers Adopt “Freemium” Model

Many developers build iOS software hoping that their app will be the next Angry Birds, but they struggle at what price to sell it. A free app can bring downloads but your pockets are still empty. Maybe you should consider adding in-app purchases to your app, no matter the base price. Distimo has released a new report that suggests that in-app purchases are the way to go if you want to make money in the App Store. In-app purchases account for 72% of revenue, improving from 28% at this time last year. Here’s another stunning number, only 4% of apps in the App Store even offer in-app purchases.

Freemium apps (free to download, but require an in-app purchase to expand the app) are growing particularly faster in the in-app purchasing paradise. Free app downloads have increased by 34% since 2010 while paid downloads only grew 7% in the same time frame. Distimo’s research only covered the Top 200 in each category, but that’s a strong selection of the App Store’s money makers.

Freemium apps made up 48% of total App Store revenue while paid apps with in-app purchases accounted for 24%; the remaining 28% came from paid apps. If you look at the top grossing apps for the iPhone (iPod Touch) and iPad App Stores, freemium games take up several spots. Freemium apps also account for 65% of the Top 100 grossing games in the US App Store.

Besides games offering in-app purchases, comic apps are also making waves, especially in the iPad App Store. Magazines are one more category that is taking advantage of the freemium pricing model.

GigaOM didn’t envision this exactly back in February when Apple let in-app subscriptions into the stores. “Essentially, it looks like more and more developers are embracing the idea that making recurring payments an attractive option for App Store shoppers is the key to coming up with a sustainable business model. Apple’s isn’t the only store where developers are figuring that out, either. In-app purchases are already in use by 68 percent of the 25 top grossing Android apps, despite only being introduced in March of this year.”

Could we possibly see the day when there aren’t “regular” paid apps in the Top 300 grossing list? What do you prefer as a user – a one-time fee to buy the entire app, or having to keep putting quarters into your Apple arcade machine? [via GigaOM]

Apple Releases Updated ProApps QuickTime Codecs

Following the release of Final Cut Pro 10.0.1, Motion 5.0.1 and Compressor 4.0.1 earlier today on the Mac App Store, Apple has pushed a separate update for ProApps QuickTime Codecs. This download is recommended for all users of Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4, and it adds the following codecs to QuickTime-based apps:

  • Apple Intermediate Codec
  • Apple ProRes
  • AVC-Intra
  • DVCPRO HD
  • HDV
  • XDCAM HD / EX / HD422
  • MPEG IMX
  • Uncompressed 4:2:2

The update is available now through Apple’s Downloads website. Updates to FCP X, Motion and Compressor are available now on the Mac App Store.

- ProApps QuickTime Codecs (1.1 MB)

Mophie Unveils New iOS External Batteries, Pulse for iPod touch

With a series of tweets posted on the company’s official account earlier today, accessory maker Mophie has unveiled a new line of external batteries for iOS devices, as well as Pulse, a gaming accessory for the iPod touch we first covered in July. The new line of external batteries is showcased on Mophie’s website here, with all the items available for pre-order today. The redesigned Juice Pack Universal line includes:

Juice Pack Reserve: Small battery pack that’s lightweight and portable. Charges an iPhone or iPod with no cables (it connects through a device’s dock) with a 700 mAh battery (twice as fast as 500 mAh batteries). Shipping September 30th. $34.95.

Juice Pack Boost: External battery for iPhone and iPod that doubles as a stand, and features a 2000 mAh high output battery. An integrated LED indicator lets you track battery status, and the ultra slim design make sure the unit is extremely portable, too. Shipping September 30th. $49.95.

Juice Pack Powerstation: 4000 mAh external battery that can charge iPhones, iPods, and iPads, as well as “virtually” any USB device. The Powerstation is also compatible with several Android and BlackBerry handsets – a full list is available on Mophie’s website. Shipping September 30th. $79.95.

Today, Mophie has also confirmed the availability of Pulse, a gaming grip for the iPod touch 4G that brings enhanced sounds and feedback to the device. Gaming feedback is provided by ViviTouch Technology, and Mophie claims the Pulse will increase usability of all kinds of apps, not just games. It’s difficult to imagine how a gaming grip would enhance, say, a note-taking app, but we applaud Mophie for the effort nonetheless.

Demo video is available here. The Pulse is $99.95 on Mophie’s website.

The Mac App Store, Two Months After Lion’s Launch→

The Mac App Store, Two Months After Lion’s Launch

Dan Frommer at SplatF takes a look at the Mac App Store, two months after the public debut of OS X Lion:

What we haven’t seen are big moves by companies like Microsoft or Adobe into the Mac App Store. Adobe launched Photoshop Elements in July, and it seems to be doing pretty well, as the no. 7 highest-grossing app. But it’s still not clear if more of the Creative Suite or Microsoft’s Office suite will eventually make it into the Mac App Store.

In general, though, it seems as if app selection is growing nicely. And now that Lion is the default OS installed on new Macs, and as more Mac users upgrade, App Store sales should continue to grow.

You can look at the data on Dan’s blog, but to sum up: average prices are up and there’s less Apple software in the top charts. I’d argue that Apple has been relatively slow with software updates in the summer (before the big wave that hits with iCloud this Fall) and thus committed third-party developers have jumped the charts, but let’s focus on another aspect of the story – availability. Dan notes that big names like Microsoft and Adobe have shown little or no interest in releasing specific Mac App Store versions of their productivity suites. However, with almost 7,000 apps, there’s a high chance you’ll find your new favorite image or text editor in the Mac App Store, which is empowering less popular third-party Mac devs to make their apps available to a greater audience.

That was the point of the Mac App Store all along – to offer a centralized way for any kind of Mac developer to release and easily update apps. Recent releases like the successful launch of 1Password seem to confirm that there’s plenty of room for smaller companies and independent devs in the top charts. I also look forward to the upcoming launch of Pixelmator 2.0 – you may remember version 1.0 earned $1 million on the Mac App Store in the first 20 days (with the promise of a free 2.0 update).

That’s not to say Apple has achieved the perfect formula with the Mac App Store. Delta updates are nice, but there’s still no way for developers to implement easy upgrade options, or free trials (this is true on the iOS App Store as well – meanwhile, Windows Phone 7’s marketplace features free trials alongside “full versions” of apps). Similarly, there should be a better way to browse in-app purchases, or even manage a basic wish list.

I’m looking forward to some possible tweaks and changes in the next weeks, and I’ll check back in two months.

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