Nearly 8 million downloads in the App Catalog 26
Back on October 5th, Palm announced their App Distribution Program, slated for a December release. In that press release were details of how developers can get their applications into the App Catalog, utilize the web distribution platform, and how Palm plans on embracing the open source community. Dieter wrote an interesting editorial - certainly worth a read - but our esteemed editor missed a nice bit of news. Buried down in the bottom of this press release was this little tidbit:
Finally, we would like to take a moment to thank our early access partners and developers who have been working with us to build our platform and program. Today these partners have introduced over 125 applications that have been downloaded almost 8 million times since the first webOS device, the Palm Pre™ phone, shipped just three months ago. It has been great working with you, and we look forward to more!
That's right - nearly 8 million downloads on a 4 month old platform with only a handful of applications. Last time we had a solid number (back in August), the download count was about 2.5 million. It's not iPhone numbers, but we're ok with that.
With the European launch of the Pre starting in Europe and the Pixi slated for release before the holiday season here in the US, the reach of the webOS platform is growing, and I think we can expect that 8 million number to rapidly grow.
26 Comments
Should grow even faster after they fix the memory limit problem. I haven't downloaded anything from the App Catalog in months.
Agreed! Number will not keep going up if they don't fix that!
just yesterday i followed webosinternal's suggestion/howto to link apps into /media/internal rather than store them on /var - and i've been downloading apps like crazy ever since, both from the app store and homebrew. i feel like a kid again, woo!
Phone keeps getting better and better. I have no regrets and am thrilled to own my Pre!!!!!!!!!!
i havent run into the memory limit, and i have been using homebrew for a while now. There just arent that many apps i want to keep or use enuf to keep around.
as for the post about downloads, imagine how much bigger it could be if there was a solitaire program to download. ;)
Thats great you haven't ran into the memory limit. But a huge majority of others have.
huge number on precentral, but i doubt many real ppl have run into it.
True, the problem is probably limited to the imaginary people that frequent PreCentral. I sure wish I were a real person because then the app limit wouldn't effect me!
8 million downloads from the official App Catalog. Didn't you read the title of this blog entry?
lol solitare... Imagine by Christmas when all the holiday shoppers have gotten their Pre's and Pixi's and its in 10 different countries with a couple hundred apps and the catalog is no longer in beta. I smell 100,000,000 in our forseeable future!
Umm.... That 8,000,000 dl's was me. I was trying to set a new record. (Dammit. now everyone knows)
Maybe that number would be higher if I could download anymore apps. Cause currently I've hit my limit. I've went back through several times and deleted any app I don't use very often. Now I ain't got no more to delete. Pretty sweet. And it makes me really happy to read gadget blogs and read about all the new apps coming out for the iPhone each week, yet Palm comes out with a handful at a time. Because why would I like to have any interesting apps. Or I could be like every other Pre owner and get all excited that there's a new currency converter or a new PicHunt app.
The lack of apps and general lag I've gotten from this phone makes me really happy that I decided to switch to Sprint and get locked into a phone that seems to be dragging its feet when it comes to basic capabilities.
And if I want any cool features like, I don't know, more than three launcher screens (because why would I need more than that; I love scrolling and scrolling to find something), I have to hack the phone. Sorry but I'm not all that confident with my non-existent programming skills to go changing stuff. Overall, I wish Palm would get on the f-ing ball and fix the little stuff that is making me slowly grow to be unhappy with this phone.
+1 -good job, Mr. Penguin.
+1
+1!
but the tweaks makes adding pages SO easy!!
I now use 6 pages and I have zero programing skills!
Thanks Homebrew'ers! You have make this Pre owner happy!
you only speak the truth, i coulnd't agree with every bit of this post more.
right now it feels like a slow sinking feeling that this relationship with palm may not last unless they do something fast.
A slow sinking feeling is exactly how I'd describe it. My general sentiment has went from 'best phone ever when you consider the potential' to 'I love the phone but I have a few complaints' to 'if they don't turn it around quickly I'm going to start regretting this purchase.'
And that sucks. Because ever since the iPhone came out I always had very major problems with it that kept me from switching to it. You couldn't cut/copy/paste, no mms, no Flash support, no multi-tasking, no video, etc. Now you can cut/copy/paste, mms, and shoot video. And realistically, I'm sure Apple has plans for multi-tasking right around the corner. That leaves Flash, which doesn't appear to be iPhone ready in a long time. But who knows.
And what bothers me is that since the beginning Palm has stated that they were going to be really active in making sure the phone is perfect and more importantly that the App Catalog would be easy to write for and you'd see all kinds of apps. But it has yet to happen.
Who knows. Maybe the new open app distribution will rectify the situation. Or maybe it will take forever and still have the same latency issues the current App Catalog has.
Overall, I'm still optimistic. Very much so, in fact, even if my negativity gets the best of me most of the time. I'm just hoping Palm really whips it into gear and I've got a device I can be completely happy with in no time. Like an iPhone owner.
I think this is a case of build it and they will come. iPhone didnt start where it is, it built up over time.
Even though it took a year for the iPhone's App Store to be released. And it has taken three generations of the operating system and hardware to reach the iPhone 32GS with iPhone OS 3.0. The current iPhone and App Store set a bar for other platforms to at least reach, if not exceed.
Unfair to newbies like webOS, but a reality.
You haven't count canada yet, we've got the updates but no paid apps.
My phone is a Preeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
When a company expects customers to have patience, it will lose the customers because the customers will lose patience.
i want more new apps, like facebook, myspace, apps by big companies
i agree. im excited that the app catalog is making progress, but truth be told, i havent been impressed by many of the current offerings. itd definitely be nice to see substantial apps by big name developers. and yes, yes, i know, those apps take time :)
dude not to mention that apps are like 4.99....for some of these apps i would hardly pay 1.99. if i thought it was worth it i would pay 4.99, but the stuff that is priced there now hardly seems worth it. but i suppose i dont need it so thats why i would think that.
No freaking doubt.
I believe many of us want these apps. However, unless these big companies choose to support webOS, our only alternative will be apps written by (most likely) much smaller companies (or homebrewers) with tiny, if non-existent, budgets and resources.
I would be interested to learn what Palm is doing to entice "big companies" like these to embrace webOS.