Apple is apparently about to launch a revamped Apple Store app for iDevices as part of the company’s plans to boost sales of the iPhone and other products direct from Apple retail, 9to5Mac reported over the weekend.
The new look app is due to roll out on Tuesday, an unnamed source told 9to5Mac, and is expected to integrate more closely with the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore in iOS 6.
Sales push
Free downloadable content will supposedly feature in the redesign, with a range of apps offered in limited-time promotions. The Cupertino company is hoping that by offering up content for nothing, it can tempt more users to open its Apple Store app, browse its other (paid) products, and make purchases.
The tech giant is known to be looking at ways to push sales of the iPhone through its own channels, and attracting more users to its Apple Store app will certainly be one surefire way of exposing consumers to its latest offerings. A recently launched back-to-school promotion offering a $50 app store gift card to students who purchase an iPhone at Apple’s retail and online stores is one such scheme underway to help increase sales, while the company is also thought to be prepping an Apple Store-based trade-in program in an effort to get iPhone owners to upgrade to the latest version.
Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly told attendees at a secretive Retail Leadership meeting in San Francisco last month that only 20 percent of iOS users are aware that an Apple Store app exists, a figure he hopes will increase with this week’s update. However, the company could go some way to boosting downloads of the app by launching a tailor-made version for the iPad – it’s currently only available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can load it onto an iPad, but you only get a small window; blow it up and it looks blocky.
