14 DAY TRIAL // German website iphone-ticker.de snapped a few screenshots of the iPhone SDK Roadmap event video presentation during which Steve Jobs, CEO at Apple, was revealing the upcoming changes brought by firmware 2.0, on Thursday. Notable changes, in the web site's opinion, are the icons to the iTunes store and the calculator, which will feature square buttons by the looks of it. However, we considered the App Store icon (which the web site apparently missed) a tad more attractive.
Actually, the App Store is probably the most worthy of being mentioned as a change and as an addition on behalf of the iPhone 2.0 software update due out in June. According to Apple's CEO, with the App Store, developers will be able to reach every iPhone user out there. The same man claims that developers will want to make their apps available free of charge, which makes perfect sense as they want to get them in the hands of as many iPhone users as possible.
Within the App Store you've got the featured section, you've got categories (whether you want to find a game or whether you want to find a business application), such as business, education, entertainment, finance, games, health and fitness, lifestyle and music. You've even got categories inside categories, top downloads and the most popular apps that are being downloaded.
Of course, a search feature will also be implemented, which will enable iPhone users to go straight for the game or application they want to download and start downloading it immediately, over the home network or Wi-Fi. Before starting the downloading process however, users can have a look at some screens of the product they want to buy (or download for free), read a description of the respective app... the usual stuff, only this time, you've got everything on the go.
Downloading an application via the App Store immediately installs it on the iPhone, so as soon as the process is complete, you'll able to start using it. Adding the App Store service to the iPhone doesn't mean that iTunes visitors won't be able to browse games anymore.
But there's even more to the App Store than anyone might have thought. If you download an app today and the developer decides to roll out an update days after you've downloaded that app, the App Store icon immediately displays an update sign, telling you which app is ready for its update and even what that update brings.
Check out iTunes. Steve Jobs describes these additions 100 times better than I do, during the iPhone SDK Roadmap event, so I suggest you download and watch the video right now, if you haven't had the chance to do it yet. You'll be amazed at what's coming to the iPhone.
