Tag Archives: money

Losses from Pirated iPhone Apps Surface

Due to the work of Haklabs back in July of 2008 (when they successfully cracked Sega’s Super Monkeyball), cracked apps have been popping up everywhere from online file sharing sites, to sites that are designed for people to download cracked apps, and mainly, Appulo.us, by far the largest website which offers the ability to download thousands of cracked apps from your computer or from a native application on your iPhone/iPod Touch. We know that cracked apps have become incredibly popular but hardly any of us actually stop and think how it’s affecting the developers… in a big way. Apple doesn’t seem to care so much to these numbers however.

Quote (via The Big Money)

The financial blog 24/7 Wall Street had a detailed post calculating the amount that Apple (AAPL) and developers of paid apps are losing when copies of their wares are downloaded to jailbroken, or unlocked, iPhones. On some pirate hubs, you can download nearly 1,000 iPhone apps in a single click. Their conclusion? For every paid app downloaded in the App Store, three are distributed for free through means that Apple hasn’t authorized. Why isn’t Apple protesting? For one thing, $140 million is less than 2 percent of the $7.8 billion revenue Apple is expected to see this fiscal year. 24/7 also notes that Apple didn’t make a huge fuss over music piracy either, given that it was making more revenue from iPods and iPhones, including those that were playing pirated songs.

This problem seems unlikely to cease unless Apple gets involved and if they don’t, the developers likely will. Other sources report that Apple has lost upwards of $140 million from pirated apps which is believably significant considering Apple has only made five times that off of the AppStore.

As for the losses that the developers are facing – it’s around $310 million.

Quote

Developers Neptune Interactive Inc and Smells Like Donkey Inc have reported piracy rates has high as 90% for their game $1.99 Tap-Fu, and claim that it was available in a pirated version within 40 minutes of its release on the App Store.

Lockerz: More Free Stuff

LockerzHere’s another great site where you can get stuff for free. This website is Lockerz. It is invitation ONLY so you will need an invitation to join. If you want to join just leave a comment on this page with your email address and you’ll receive one shortly.

Here’s a Q&A to answer your questions:

1. What is Lockerz: Lockerz is an invitation-only website created to connect members through commerce, content and community. Watch exclusive video, discover new music, play games, connect with friends, and get rewarded for it. The more often you visit, the more opportunities you have to earn PTZ (or “Pointz”), Lockerz’ own form of currency. Lockerz was founded in March, 2009.

2. What types of products can be purchased at Lockerz: Members will be able to purchase a wide range of products from apparel, accessories, electronics, games, sports equipment and other products from hundreds of well known brands. Members will also be able to purchase digital assets such as music, videos, art, and decals.

3. Is Lockerz a scam: Lockerz is a real company. It is funded by Liberty Media, one of the largest media companies in the US. The Chief Executive Officer of Lockerz is Kathy Savitt, a former executive at Amazon.com and American Eagle Outfitters.

4. Why is Lockerz giving away prizes at low levels on PTZ Place: First, we just want to thank you for getting involved at the very beginning. You rock. Plus, you’re helping us build the coolest group of brand trendsetters every time you invite friends to Lockerz…but you probably knew that. And finally, we want you to try out the different PTZ levels to get a taste of how everything will work when we go live this fall. This version of the PTZ Place is a test for us to figure out what you like, what we like, and how together we can make Lockerz unbelievable when it officially launches.

5. Why is everything “Fresh Out” in PTZ Place: We are “fresh out” because the overwhelming early response to Lockerz blew right through our initial inventory. We will re-stock PTZ Place with new items starting this Friday, August 14.

6. Why aren’t people receiving invites: The overwhelming early response to Lockerz has occasionally maxed out our capacity to send email invitations. We are still in a beta learning phase. We are adding capacity every day. You should now be able to send and receive invites successfully. Invites that you already entered into the system should have been sent by now. You still may not be able to invite friends directly through Facebook. We are working really hard to fix that fast.

7. Will Lockerz ship internationally: Once Lockerz begins selling products this fall, we will ship to many countries outside the US (check back at launch time for a complete list).

8. When will I get my Z-List t-shirt: Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.

9. How many accounts can I have: Members are entitled to one account per person. Each person within a household can have their own account.

10. I want to play the game again, but can’t: The game is a one-time-only way to earn bonus PTZ when you first join Lockerz.

11. How will Lockerz make money: Starting this fall, you will be able to purchase products at Lockerz. But don’t worry, PTZ Place will still be around, with way more prizes and experiences than there are now. Members will be able to earn PTZ every time they buy, watch, play, share, invite friends, or simply show up on Lockerz. PTZ will be redeemable for both products and experiences.

12. When will Lockerz launch: Lockerz is launching in stages. PTZ Place, Lockerz’ Prize Redemption Center, is now live. Other components will be launched soon. The complete site will be launched this fall.