Love them or hate them, in-app purchases look here to stay. According to a report from Distimo, in-app purchases now account for a staggering 76% of App Store revenue as of February 2013. This has seen a huge increase since January 2012, where in-app purchases accounted for just 53% of revenue.

In-app purchases (IAP) now generate the majority of the revenue in the app stores. This has been the case for some time now, and it continues to rise. In-app purchases generated only 53% of revenue in the Apple App Store for iPhone in January 2012 in the U.S., but generated a record 76% in February 2013 clearly demonstrating the success of this monetization method.

The report goes on to examine ARP (average revenue per download) and it makes interesting reading too. The average for free apps that offer in-app purchase came in at $0.93 per app, straight forward paid apps came in at $2.25 but taking the prize, paid apps with in-app purchases with an ARP of around $2.40. The average cost of all apps for the iPhone is just $0.99.

Another interesting point to note from the report is that Japan is way out in front when it comes to in-app purchases. The United States, United Kingdom and Germany are all reasonably level but Japan shows more than double the amount of in-app purchases compared to the others.

You can read the full report over at Distimo and also view graphs showing all of the information that it has collated. Love them or hate them, in-app purchases look set to play a major part in apps now and in the future.

How do you feel about the in-app purrchase model?

Source: Distimo

The Vaavud wind meter has arrived on Kickstarter and it looks to provide those that need to know the exact wind speed around them. You may think that it’s not that important to know such information but if you are a kite flyer, wind surfer, paraglider or model aircraft enthusiast then this information can be critical.

The Vaavud wind meter uses your iPhone to measure precise wind speeds anywhere that you are by simply using a small rotor type accessory. The accessory clips onto your iPhone; although it doesn't need any physical connection at all. It uses magnets that the iPhone can sense using its magnetic field sensor and using a clever algorithm can translate that into an exact wind speed calculation.

Yes, you read it correctly :-) The secret is two small magnets in the rotor. The magnetic field sensor in the phone can detect when they rotate, and by using algorithms normally used for sound processing, the rotations can be converted to wind speed. Complicated engineering, made user friendly and simple. In fact, nobody has utilized the smartphone magnetometer in this way before.

The device has been very thoroughly tested and it has been calibrated in a wind tunnel at The Technical University of Denmark. It will be manufactured with keen attention to detail, so it will great looking, durable, and easy to use.

If this sort of wind meter floats your boat, you can become an earlier adopter by pledging at least £30 ($45), there were cheaper starting points but this has proved extremely popular and they are all gone. The Kickstarter project needs to hit £20,000 ($30k) to become a reality; it already has pledges of over £17,500 ($26k) with 24 days still to run so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

You can see the video of the Vaavud wind meter in action over on its Kickstarter page. When you have seen it, head back here and let us know what you think!

Source: Kickstarter

Belkin has officially announced the availability of is Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad. What’s so special about this case? Well Belkin claims that it is the thinnest keyboard case available for the iPad coming in at just 6.4mm. It has been manufactured from a revolutionary aluminium alloy and magnets and weighs in at just 17 ounces.

"We believe the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case will reinvent the iPad user experience," says Jamie Elgie, senior director of product management at Belkin. "It gives the iPad all of the functionality of a laptop, while maintaining the sleek appeal of a tablet."

Featuring Belkin’s award-winning TruType keys, the Ultimate Keyboard Case provides a smooth, laptop-like typing experience to minimize errors and maintain typing speed. It also offers a fully protective back cover to keep your iPad safe from scratches, scuffs and everyday wear and tear when the keyboard is attached.

The Ultimate Keyboard Case has some really nice features like fold flat hinges that let you fold the keyboard flat and allow you to use the iPad as a tablet without the need to remove the keyboard. It also incorporates Belkin’s SoundFlow design which it claims will dramatically enhance the sound from the iPad’s speakers.

The Ultimate Keyboard Case can be pre-ordered from Belikin today with shipping estimated to be sometime in May. The Ultimate Keyboard case will be available to suit either the black iPad at a cost of $99.99 or the white iPad which will set you back a little more at $129.99. It is compatable with the iPad 2, iPad third generation and iPad 4th generation.

Source: Belkin Press Release

Randomly accurate site Digitimes is reporting the often repeated rumor that Apple is still working on a TV set. The latest rumor surrounds the actual specifications of the TV set which Digitimes sources claim will be 4K. For those that don’t know, 4K or Ultra HD offers two times the horizontal and vertical resolution of the current 1080p standard giving it an overall resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels; this would equal four times the resolution of 1080p.

The sources said that Apple and Foxconn Electronics have been in discussions for quite some time in terms of the TV's mass production schedule, but that Apple has been considering where panel supply for the TV will come from, as Ultra HD TV panel makers, most of whom are based in Taiwan, are expected to be producing at nearly full capacity in 2013 in order to meet demand from China-based TV vendors.

Apparently Apple will look to LG to supply the panels for the 4K iTV and if it can prove its ability to supply the panels in the quantities required, Apple may release the iTV at the end of this year. The iTV is thought to offer not only Ultra HD resolution but also change the way that we interact with our TV sets. It is widely thought that Siri voice control and motion will play a major part in the TV’s user interface.

Source: Digitimes

Apple has launched a new promotion to entice would be iPhone buyers by offering them free next day shipping. The new promotion ony appears to be available in the U.S. Apple Store and no where else. The offer covers all models of iPhone from the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and the latest iPhone 5 models.

This is nothing really that unusual as Apple already offers free next day shipping whenever you order more than $50 worth of accessories from its store but it is the first time we have seen free next day shipping being offered on iPhone models.

Apple has been pushing the iPhone of late especially since the launch event for the Samsung Galaxy S4. We have recently seen Apple sending out emails pushing the iPhone and telling us why we love the iPhone as well as launching a dedicated page over at Apple.com. This could just be another subtle push to help potential buyers sitting on the fence to make a decision favoring a new iPhone rather than one of the latest Android handsets.

Source: Apple Store