Apple redesigned one of its critical apps that had a 2-star rating on the App Store
- The only new app Apple launched at its annual developers conference is called App Store Connect.
- It allows app makers to easily administer and update the apps they build for iPhones and iPads.
- The app it's replacing, iTunes Connect, had a 2-star rating.
- This shows that Apple is listening to customer feedback and is also moving away from the iTunes brand.
Apple launched a new app last week at its annual developers conference, and although most users will probably never use it, it's a big deal for the app makers and programmers who develop for iPhones and iPads.
The new app is called App Store Connect, and it's a redesign of an older app called iTunes Connect, which was widely despised - it had a 2-star rating out of 5, according to App Annie data.
Both apps allow app makers to manage the iOS apps they sell, as well as view download trends and responds to reviews.
"As a member of the Apple Developer Program, you'll use App Store Connect to submit and manage apps, invite users to test with TestFlight, add tax and banking information, access sales reports, and more," Apple explained on a developer pages for the app. Developers can receive push notifications for important app updates, too.
But App Store Connect, true to its name, is dedicated to app developers. iTunes Connect was built for everything on Apple's aging kitchen sink app, iTunes, allowing content creators to manage music, movies, books, and other forms of content too.
There are two takeaways for Apple developers and investors.
First is that Apple is in its "the customer is always right" phase, as Loup Ventures founder and longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster wrote last week. In this case, the customer is Apple's 20 million developers, who, through the app's 2-star-rating, said that iTunes Connect wasn't satisfactory. Now there's a brand-new option for app makers.
Second, Apple is actively disassembling iTunes, one of its oldest pieces of legacy software. The stalwart software has become a catching ground for Apple - it used to sync iPods, but now it handles iPhone backups, apps, music, movies, and more. The introduction of App Store Connect is another sign that App Store is now Apple's main platform brand, and that iTunes is slowly on its way out.
