Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

Wondering which Apple apps are popular? No need to speculate anymore. Here is the list of 10 apple apps making millions.

1. Angry Birds Space ($0.99 for iPod & iPhone; $2.99 for iPad):

Angry Birds Space developer Rovio claimed a total of 10 million downloads in three days in March of 2012. The company announced this on its Twitter feeds soon afterwards.

No other game spread as fast as Angry Birds. Available on almost all platforms, Angry Birds Space beat every records, keeping at the front end of best-selling applications as managed to bring freshness to the game? I invite you to review.

Compatibility: iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone

2. Draw Something ($0.99):

This application was developed by Omgpop. It won a Flurry App Spotlight Award in 2012. Massive performance improvements were made to this app recently. It now includes a new opening video and excludes balloons.

In the first weeks after launch, the game was downloaded 20 million times. Within 50 days it was downloaded a total of 50 million times. Zynga bought the game and Omgpop for $180 million. It would not be surprising if this app made 6 figures in the first year.

Come show your creative side with this app. 2 users can draw a picture for everyone else to guess.

Compatibility: iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone; iOS4+

3. Hypstamatic ($1.99):

This is a digital photography application for the iPhone. It assists the iPhone camera in shooting square photographs. It also applies a number of software filters which make the photographs look as though they were taken with an antique camera.

The application is popular, selling 1.4 million times (November 2010). It also received recognition by New York times when Damon Winter used it for a story on the Afghanistan War. In 2011, it made $10 million in revenue from those that downloaded it and its services.

Compatibility: iPhone

4. iShoot ($2.99):

This app was named by Apple as one of the Top 10 paid apps of all time. It is an artillery combat game where tanks blast each other with a wide range of weapons from shells and cluster bombs to world-destroying shiva bombs. The developer, Ethan Nicholas, has stricken gold, and in fact had to quit his job to take on the role of app developer. He made $35,000 in one single day of sales that is after the Apple took its cut. Can you imagine how much he makes per year?

Compatibility: iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch

5. iFart ($0.99)

The app cuts out the most interesting farts for its listeners and provides the famous security fart feature which I totally recommend for those who wish to get the app. The maker of iFart Mobile, Joel Cunmm, has also created a framework which works inside of Apple`s SDK and allows them to release digital scents via the iPhone speakers. This is not all, in September of 2011, the company announced the Social Fart Icon. This allows users to share wonders with friends, family and other contacts. Using Facebook, email, Twitter, SMS and other social media platforms, people can now click on a link to hear the sounds. The app makes $10,000 a day according to Gizmag.com

Compatibility: Any device and all operating systems.

Apple is an American multinational corporation that specializes in consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. It is best known for hardware products such as MacIntosh, iPod, iPhone and the iPad. In over 10 countries, the company has 357 stores. It also has one of the largest online stores worldwide.

Overall, the company has the largest IPO companies in the world. It has a capitalization of over $150 billion. It is also worth more than Google and Microsoft combined and includes 60, 4000 permanent full-time employees. The annual sales total $65 billion, which grew to $108 billion in 2011.

With every company, there is a rot or Achilles heel. Let’s take a look at what makes Apple Inc. a rotten apple.

1. Safari Updates:

There is nothing more rotten than a push that becomes a shove. In 2008, Apple did just that. It used auto-update service to distribute its Safari web browser to users. The users were prompted to make updates which included Safari. Digital Journal reports that this as a form of bad business; being sneaky and on the borderline of malware distribution tactics.

The software was not really an update for many users. In fact, it was newly installed software that was never on the computer before, adds John Lilly, Mozilla CEO. For him, a relationship must be built naturally and not by force.

Was Apple correct when it forced its users to download Safari? Vote now.

2. Sweatshops in China:

iPods are extremely expensive, especially when you compare it to other mp3 brands. You pay more than $200 to receive something that is an Apple product. One thing that many people are not aware of is that Apple has been manufacturing its iPod products in Chinese sweatshops for the last 6 years. In fact, they have failed to tackle the horrifying conditions at its supplier.

Workers continue to die and sustain injuries in accidents that could be easily prevented. Many of them are forced to work from morning to night for slave wages ($0.70/h) in dismaying conditions. New York Times was the first to report on this. It noted that Apple pledged to improve safety records and working practices. Things have yet to improve.

For the price we pay for Apple products, should we expect better conditions?

3. Suicide Rates:

Sweatshops are the least of their problems. In fact Apple has bigger fish to fry in China. During the launch of iPad in 2012, 150 Chinese Workers at Foxconn threatened to commit suicide by leaping off their factory roof. In 2010, 18 workers threw themselves from the top of the company building, which resulted in 14 deaths. Foxconn installed safety nets in the factory and hired counsellors to help its workers.

4. Child Labour:

Like other computer manufacturers this comes as no news. Still I expect much better from a company that charges more than $900 for computers and $600 for mobile devices. In February of 2012, it was reported that child workers were indeed working at Foxconn, the distributor for Apple. During inspections, child laborers were hidden and moved to other departments. The students who work there are not working voluntarily; Chinese government requires schools to send their children to work factory labour as part of their internship. This was featured in the SACOM report in 2012.

5. Dump Polluted Waste & Toxic Metals:

In 2011, a Beijing environmental group called Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs reported that the company dumps toxic metals and polluted waste into communities around its factories. This, they report, threatens the communities’ public health. The report was issued in August of 2011 in a 46 page paper.

Apple had already committed to being a green country. Ma Jun, the director of the group, stated that they now needed to fulfill their commitment and become responsible for their suppliers’ pollution.

Apple is known to create extremely stunning advertisements- both visually and in terms of design.

1. The Single Apple

One particular advert in a magazine showed the fruit against a simple beige background. It read- Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Apple computers are extremely basic and not adorned with complicated buttons and features like other computers. This was their USP initially and what made them so popular. The simple ad was stunning because it was plain and straightforward.

2. The Boring Man

This advertisement showed two men standing side by side. The one on the left wore a boring suit and glasses while the other wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The caption under the man with the suit read- I’m a PC and the other one read- I’m a Mac.

3. Paper Thin

When the Macbook air was launched, it was meant to be the thinnest laptop in the world. A magazine printed a screen on one side and the keyboard on the other which made the reader feel as though he was looking at a computer when he turned the page. The message was basic and simple- the Macbook air is as thin as paper.

4. Spyware

This advertisements showed the same two men standing side by side. The PC was wearing a trench coat and was under disguise while the other looked as cool as a cucumber. The PC said that he was trying to catch a virus which can enter the system and destroy it and encouraged the Mac to wear the false mustache and nose as well. The Mac says that he doesn’t need it as his system is strong enough.

5. The Pencil Test

Another advertisement by Apple showed a pair of hands holding a Macbook Pro and a pencil on its side. The verdict was simple- even the basic Mac laptop is as thin as a pencil and can be carried around without any difficulties.

Technology Easter eggs are included in computer programs, websites, CDs, etc and are basically hidden messages or jokes. Let us look at some of these created by Google and Apple.

1. Recursion

Everybody is aware of the fact that if you type in a wrong spelling in the Google search engine, it will give you the right one with the help of the “did you mean” feature. However, if you type in this particular word with the correct spelling, Google will continuously suggest the exact same spelling again and again till you realize that the joke is on you!

2. Talk to a Martian

With the help of a certain application created by Google Earth 5, users were told that they could speak to Martians on Mars by entering “Meliza” in the search engine. While you will chat with something, it will not be a Martian but Eliza- an application with artificial intelligence. Eliza is not very interesting to speak to.

3. The Meaning of Life

If you are to enter the following phrase- “answer to life, the universe and everything” in the search engine, the first result you will see is “42” and a small calculator will be made next to it. There are other phrases that will confuse you just the same and probably make the engineers laugh. These include “once in a blue moon” which will give “1.16699016 × 10^-8 hertz” as the answer and “number of horns on a unicorn” will give “1” as the answer.

4. Ascii Art

ASCII Art is a term used to describe any image that is created with the help of keyboard characters. Even though this style is quite obsolete, it is still as popular. Google engineers are quite fond of this art as the doodle alters when the phrase is searched for.

5. Swim the Atlantic

When Google Maps were new and somebody was to ask for directions between locations and areas that had water bodies in between them, the user would be asked to travel a bit and then ‘start swimming for 3,500 miles’. This Easter egg has been removed.

The web technology is an endless sea of new and old entrants. Leading companies across the globe keep launching newer products every year. But they have to understand that the user is in touch with all these technological advancements and need them together. So any product that supports only one out of the lot, cannot be successful as compared to those that support all sorts of software, irrespective of their makers.

A new entry in the league is the iPad, an Apple tablet. Recently, the company has launched it on a very large scale in a press conference. At first glance, the product seems to be quite attractive, but on second thoughts, it not worth spending your precious dollars on. Given here are the top ten reasons for not buying an iPad.

1.    If you check out its features carefully, primarily it only supports the applications meant for the iPhones. Its functions are, therefore, quite restricted. Mainly you can use it to watch YouTube videos, play iTunes, check your emails and read some short eBooks. All these are only good for entertainment purposes, so if you are considering any commercial functions, this product is just not the right buy.

2.    Then another disappointment that Apple’s iPad has given is that it can not operate OS X or for that matter any of the Intel processors. This is again a big limitation as most of the computer users use these operating systems. Though, Apple processors are also used by some people but they are not so common as yet. So this product is not at all helpful for those who use processors besides Apple.

3.    Though the product offers a battery back up of only 10 hours. It is quite less as compared to some other things in the market. So, there also the consumers would not get full benefit in lieu of the money spent.

4.    The backside of the iPad has no rubber plugs or sheets. This makes it extremely uncomfortable and tedious type on a flat screen. This makes it difficult to operate and slow in utility.

5.    YouTube is a relatively new entry in the filed and it is simply not the ‘only’ video playing application. There are several others as well. The most famous out of the lot is Flash. But all Apple devices seem to despise Flash. That stands for another limitation of this new gadget.

6.    One of the key functions that people look for in all these fun gadgets is a web camera. And iPad does not have a camera! This is a sheer disappointment for even those buyers who are simply considering this product for entertainment, forget the commercial viability!

7.    Those who have a laptop or a palmtop or a smart phone, they can get all the features of an iPad along with several other fun and utility factors on the list. For them spending on an iPad is nothing but a waste of money.

8.    Some of you might think that iPad’s size is an advantage. But you must know the fact that to make it fully functional you have to accessorize it with some additional gadgets. That accounts to more expenditure and consumption of more space in your bag.

9.    Some Nokia phones such as the N Series offer all the functions of the iPad. Users who have been using this model of the mobile phones are quite contended and can’t stop praising the gadget. On the other hand, the iPad is restricted to a handful of features (many of which one can find on an iPhone too). Again, one can make the comparison as a rational client.

10.    Last but not the least , its screen space is merely 1028 pixels by 768 pixels in terms of the resolution. This is absolutely negligible when it comes to surfing the internet for fun or for work purpose.

Apple is a leading brand in the world of technology but their products always stay a step behind because the company has never supported the other operating systems properly. We can only hope that the next model of iPad that they launch will be worth a buy. For now save your hard earned money for some other gadgets!