On September 19, the final version of iOS 6 will be available for download. There are quite a lot of key changes, not counting the design: updated search, rejection of UDID, improved Siri, the appearance of the Passbook application, new maps. But for mobile developers, the main innovation will certainly be the deep integration of iOS 6 with Facebook.
Most native applications in the sixth “reincarnation” were able to post messages on the user’s page. This is true for both Game Center and Siri and the photo app. In the new maps, which are the original development of Apple, you can also mark your location on Facebook without resorting to third-party services.
But these are all toys. The main thing is adding the “Like” button to the App Store. In this way, Apple has integrated into its store one of the most effective marketing systems – word of mouth. And although the new viral channel is unlikely to significantly affect the behavior of big players, but it will provide access to the market to small teams, which often can only hope for word of mouth.
As David Edery, executive director of Spry Fox, noted in an interview with Inside Mobile Apps, such an innovation “turns on”. For almost any company, adding “Like” to the App Store is a boon. This change means that fans of the app will be able to easily recommend it to their friends and acquaintances, thereby bringing new players.
However, for companies with their own gaming social platforms, this is not the best news. With the improvement of the climate in the App Store, the need to work with large companies like GREE and DeNA disappears.