Developers are informing us today that when they log into iTunes Connect, they’re being prompted to accept a new paid application contract. The contract includes an amendment that gives developers the opportunity to offer educational discounts when multiple copies of the same program are purchased. Developers must accept the new amendment in order to continue placing their apps in the App Store, and they can turn discounts on and off in the app management area of iTunes Connect.

The amendment enables developers to offer a 50% discount to educational institutions on multiple copies of apps. They can apply it to individual app titles, or to all apps that they currently offer in the App Store.

» via The Unofficial Apple Weblog

According to a new report from app store analytics firm Distimo, the average price for the most popular iPhone apps worldwide dropped 15% between December 2009 and February 2010. The price for the most popular iPhone apps in Europe is higher than anywhere else in the world. While the average price for popular apps in North America is $2.43, European iPhone users pay an average of $3.86. Given the different pricing tiers, strategies and tastes across countries, it’s hard to fully explain these price differences, but it looks like iPhone users in North America are more price sensitive than users in other countries.

» via ReadWriteWeb

Apple gave us a nice Monday surprise as it added the ability to buy an app for a friend or acquaintance as a gift via the App Store. The feature has long been available for music and movies, but until today had been mysteriously absent from the App Store since its launch almost two years ago.

» via ars technica

“At the end of the day, Apple has a brand to maintain,” said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray who keeps a close eye on the company. “And the bottom line is they want that image to be squeaky clean.”

The iPad will run the same applications that work on the iPhone and iPod Touch, which demonstrated that consumers were willing to pay for software that turned their devices into gaming machines, e-readers and navigation systems.

“The reality is that the iPad is going to be a big platform for apps,” said Mr. Munster. “It raises the bar for Apple in terms of policing what goes into the App Store.”

» via The New York Times

soupsoup:

Twelve of the world’s biggest phone networks – including AT&T, Orange and Telefonica – will announce their rival technology tomorrow to Apple’s App Store. The combined audience for the app platform will be 2 billion customers. Phone manufacturers Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are also on board for the launch.

The announcement is expected to take place at tomorrow’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, writes the Times, and will be good news for consumers. With the fragmentation of app stores from Apple, Android (Android) and others, many handsets and operators will now support a single standard of apps that work across multiple devices.

Google may open as early as March an online store to sell third-party software that complements its Google Apps collaboration and communication hosted suite, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Google would let customers purchase the software from its store and charge the third-party developers a commission, according to the Journal, whose article was based on anonymous sources.

» via Macworld UK

In its announcement Thursday, Amazon will say that it is letting programmers create what it calls active content — similar to applications — for the Kindle and keep 70 percent of the revenue from each sale after paying for wireless delivery costs.

Amazon will release a set of programming guidelines that other companies — including publishers of books and periodicals — can use to create and sell applications for the Kindle.

» via The New York Times