Apple Sells 1.5B iPhone Apps in First Year

Pentagon develops apps for ubiquitous Apple devices

(NEWSER) - With more than 30,000 third-party applications now available for the iPhone and iPod touch, a new organization is getting into the game: the American military. As the Independent reports, the Pentagon thinks Apple's gadgets are ideal for "network centric warfare" and is funding projects for everything from translation to bomb disposal. Some soldiers on the front lines are already using the technology. More»

(NEWSER) - Apple has sold 928 million programs to mobile users and plans to celebrate its billionth App Store download by awarding a random customer a huge haul of merchandise, CNET reports. The lucky customer will walk away with a MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod Touch, and a $10,000 iTunes gift certificate. Which of the 30,000 apps available propelled Apple to these heights? The Facebook app tops the free column, while the most customers paid for Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D. More»

'I've never seen anything like this,' Apple boss says

(NEWSER) - The iPhone’s new App Store has exceeded the company’s wildest expectations, tallying up average sales of $1 million per day, Steve Jobs said today in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Apple’s on pace to make $360 million from the store this year. “This thing's going to crest a half a billion, soon,” says Jobs. “I've never seen anything like this in my career for software.” More»

Apple loophole makes photos vulnerable

(NEWSER) - It's not only contacts that can be snatched from your cellphone by apps—photos, too, can be yanked, thanks to an Apple loophole. Once a user allows an application on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to have access to location information—to launch a mapping function, for example— the app can copy the user’s entire photo library, unbeknownst to the user, reports the New York Times . But the Times notes that it's not clear if any App Store apps are actually uploading users' images. More»

Finding App Store bug costs Charlie Miller his license

(NEWSER) - Security guru Charlie Miller found himself kicked out of Apple's developer program just hours after he announced that he had found a major security flaw. Miller discovered a hole that allows iPhone and iPad applications to grab potentially malicious code from third-party servers even after they have been approved and gone live on the App Store, Forbes reports. More»