Why Apple is opening up its App Store

Why Apple is opening up its App Store

Apple has been under pressure from regulators, lawmakers, and developers to make its App Store more open and fair. The company has faced antitrust investigations, lawsuits, and criticism for its tight control over the distribution and monetization of apps on its platform. Apple has recently announced some changes to its App Store policies that aim to address some of these concerns and improve the experience for both developers and users.

One of the major changes is that Apple will allow developers to communicate with their customers outside of the App Store and offer alternative payment methods. This means that developers can avoid paying Apple’s 15% or 30% commission on in-app purchases and subscriptions, which has been a source of contention for many app makers. Apple will also let developers appeal its decisions on app rejections and suggest changes to its guidelines.

Another change is that Apple will reduce its commission rate to 15% for news publishers who participate in its Apple News service. This is part of a broader effort by Apple to support quality journalism and combat misinformation on its platform. Apple will also provide more transparency and data on how its editorial team selects and features stories on Apple News.

These changes are significant for Apple, which has historically been reluctant to loosen its grip on its App Store ecosystem. They are also a response to the changing market dynamics and consumer preferences, as more people use multiple devices and platforms, and as more services move to the cloud and web. Apple is trying to balance its interests as a platform owner, a service provider, and a device maker, while also maintaining its reputation for quality, security, and privacy.

Apple’s App Store is still one of the most lucrative and influential platforms in the tech industry, with over 1.8 million apps and over $64 billion in revenue in 2020. By opening up its App Store, Apple is hoping to foster more innovation, competition, and trust among its developers and users, and to ensure its long-term success in the digital economy.

Microsoft is launching Copilot Pro this week

Microsoft is launching Copilot Pro this week

Microsoft is launching Copilot Pro this week, a new service that aims to help developers write better code faster. Copilot Pro is based on the open source project Copilot, which uses artificial intelligence to suggest code snippets based on natural language descriptions. Copilot Pro enhances this functionality with more features, such as:

  • Customizable code style and formatting preferences
  • Integration with popular code editors and IDEs
  • Support for more programming languages and frameworks
  • Access to a large and curated code database
  • Ability to share and collaborate on code suggestions

Copilot Pro is designed to be a smart and reliable assistant for developers of all skill levels and domains. It can help with tasks such as:

  • Writing boilerplate code and scaffolding projects
  • Implementing common algorithms and data structures
  • Debugging and testing code
  • Documenting and commenting code
  • Exploring new libraries and APIs

Copilot Pro is not meant to replace human developers, but rather to augment their capabilities and productivity. It is also not a guarantee of correctness or security, and developers should always review and test the suggested code before using it.

Copilot Pro is available as a subscription service, with different plans and pricing options depending on the usage and needs of the developers. Microsoft is offering a free trial period for new users, as well as discounts for students, educators, and non-profit organizations.

To learn more about Copilot Pro and how to get started, visit the official website at https://copilotpro.microsoft.com.

GitHub hosts first event for developers in Africa

GitHub hosts first event for developers in Africa

GitHub event Africa developer

Social coding and software development platform, GitHub, announces its first-ever event for developers in Africa.

The event will be in the form of a virtual meetup and will take place on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, from 3 pm to 5 pm WAT or 6 pm to 8 am EAT.

The event will kickstart a series of monthly online meetups geared towards building a vibrant community in the region. The meetups will inform on the latest GitHub workflows, latest features and how one can contribute to Open Source.

The events will feature speakers from GitHub as well as other prominent Open Source maintainers from Africa.

Click to sign up and be part of the first GitHub event in Africa.

Last year, GitHub CEO, Nat Freidman, visited Nigeria and Ghana to meet with developers and entrepreneurs. Learning about how “GitHub can be of service” as Microsoft, GitHub’s parent company broadens its horizons as a developer-centric company. He also shared that GitHub will be looking to hire remote developers from Africa soon.

Developers on the African continent have become one of the major contributors to the GitHub platform. With Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria recognized as the fastest-growing countries by open-source repositories created.

In the 2018 GitHub Octoverse regional report, Nigeria represented the fourth fastest-growing developer community on GitHub. With 1.6x as many contributors in 2018 than in 2017.

[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”true” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Sign Up” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]

Check out what’s new on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to follow for the latest videos and news in the ecosystem.

MTN Gaming Conference: shaping the future of gaming and driving growth in the sector in Africa

MTN Gaming Conference: shaping the future of gaming and driving growth in the sector in Africa

MTN Gaming Conference brings the gaming community in Ghana together. Providing a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas on the development of interactive and immersive game experiences. As well as how to shape the future of the gaming industry in Ghana and Africa.

The gaming industry in Ghana seems like an untapped resource as global gaming market revenues are projected to exceed $525 billion by 2023. Newzoo’s insight into the global games market share shows Europe, Middle East and Africa at only 21 percent. As a result of this potential, MTN believes rallying the community together will help it grow and increase economic gains.

MTN Gaming Conference highlights

https://youtu.be/soOr0c-SBrQ

Speakers at the event include Johana Riquier, Business Development Manager at game software development company Unity. Eric Elder, CEO Online Worlds Entertainment, Eyram Tawia, CEO of Leti Arts and Triforce Johnson, CEO Empire Arcadia.

Conversations from keynotes, panel and break out sessions centered on using education as a way to grow the industry. Creating relevant African content and how game developers can fund their projects.

Angry Birds, Peter Vesterbacka, joins via chat

Former chief marketing officer of Rovio Mobile Ltd, Peter Vesterbacka and Mighty Eagle of Angry Birds joins event via video call. Watch video below as he speaks to the audience about the business of gaming. He shared the history of Rovio and how it took Rovio 51 tries to get to hit game Angry Birds.

https://youtu.be/dKV4trmKR2Q
Peter joins at 6:00

The event hosted by MTN Ghana Limited took place at the Accra Digital Center, Accra.

You can read more on the events from the overview and take away shared by Joseph of Tech Nova Ghana.

Share your thoughts with us on MTN pushing for growth in the Ghanaian gaming industry. How is the gaming industry in your country?

#ImagineCup 2017 World Championship Finals

#ImagineCup 2017 World Championship Finals

Follow all the action from the Imagine Cup  2017 World Championship Finals. 

World Championship

The Imagine Cup competition is Microsoft’s global completion for student developers. It empowers the next generation of computer science students to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications that shape how we live, work and play. This years Imagine Cup Finals already has an aura around it seeing it marks a milestone and not forgetting the  $ 100,000 top price package.

Four teams have made it to the finals and will compete for the cup and grand prize. Stay tuned as we will have the live broadcast available.