1）ABI Research最新报告显示，自iPad问世20个月以来，iPad应用下载量已超过30亿次，在苹果iOS应用的180亿次下载量中占比约17%（iPhone应用历时2年才实现30亿次应用下载量）；与此同时，Android平板电脑应用下载量目前仅4.4亿次。

ipad_apps(from editorsweblog.org)

Distimo在2011年11月份的报告中指出，位于前200名营收榜单的iPad应用创造收益远超前200名Android应用（包括平板电脑及智能手机应用），可见Android平板电脑应用无论是下载量还是收益都远逊色于iPad。但投资公司Morgan Keegan报告认为，亚马逊的Android平板电脑Kindle Fire很可能蚕食iPad市场份额。

ABI报告指出，截止2011年第三季度，专门针对iPad平台而开发的应用数量达12万款。

2）Nexon最近发布其热门RPG网游《冒险岛》的iOS版本《MapleStory: Cave Crawlers》，该游戏是一个单人模式的付费版本，玩家只能通过Game Center体验社交功能，游戏本身并不含任何与其他玩家互动的设置。

MapleStory_CaveCrawlers(from insidemobileapps)

《MapleStory: Cave Crawlers》与传统RPG游戏的一大区别在于，其战斗系统主要根据时间考验玩家的反应灵敏度，每只怪物都有一个“时间条”，并拥有不同的敏捷性，例如巨大的蜗牛移动速度会比植物怪更慢。

该游戏目前提供了五个副本供玩家探索，未来将通过更新版本提供更多内容。Nexon于2011年12月份进行IPO，公司目前市值为4905亿日元（约合63.9亿美元）。

3）韩国发行商Gamevil日前宣布其热门手机游戏《Air Penguin》（由第三方工作室Enterfly开发）发布8个月下载量突破1300万次。

Air-Penguin(from insidemobileapps.com)

该游戏在iOS平台推出了99美分付费版本及免费精简版，发布首月创收100万美元。

4）MindJolt SGN最近与美国动物保护协会Humane Society合作推出了一款以救助宠物为题材的iOS游戏《Fluff Friends Rescue》。

Fluff Friends Rescue(from itunes.apple.com)

该公司首席运营官Colin Digiaro表示，他们研究App Store所有的宠物主题游戏之后才开发了这个产品。该游戏得名于SGN之前的一款游戏《Fluff Friends》，支持玩家救助流离失所的动物，为它们提供医疗、食物、梳洗和玩耍等帮助，他们将把游戏中的Human Society贴牌道具销售额捐献给动物救助机构。

MindJolt SGN目前MAU超过3500万，移动下载量为4500万次，在社交平台的安装量达8000万次。

5）据彭博社报道，苹果最近聘请前Adobe高管Todd Teresi任移动广告平台iAd副总裁，Teresi此前是Adobe媒体解决方案副总裁，之前曾是Quantcast首席营收官，并拥有雅虎工作背景。

iAd(from venturebeat)

虽然苹果极力推销iAd，但其市场范围一直仅限于苹果iOS平台，难以取得更大突破，Teresi加入iAd或许有助于解决iAd难以找到客户这个问题。

6）淘米网络在2011年10月末推出的首款iOS应用《摩尔庄园》上榜3日即成为AppStore中国区iPad免费综合榜TOP1，两个月之后超过100万次下载量。

摩尔庄园

《摩尔庄园》取材与淘米网络的同名线上儿童社区，除了沿用其知名的“红鼻子小摩尔”形象外，基本玩法与web端完全不同，是专为iOS平台量身定制的经营类农庄种植游戏。

摩尔卡丁车

据悉，淘米网络下一步计划是于2012年初推出一款全新竞技类赛车游戏《摩尔卡丁车》，将探险和赛车体验结合于《摩尔卡丁车》中，众多梦幻的场景和乐趣无穷的道具是其最大看点。（本文为游戏邦gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Total iPad app downloads pass 3 billion

Kathleen De Vere

iPad owners have downloaded more than 3 billion apps for their tablets in the 20 months since the device made its debut, according to Singapore-based ABI Research. This means the iPad has accounted for almost 17 percent of the 18 billion total iOS downloads. By comparison ABI estimates the iPhone took as long as two years to reach the 3 billion app download mark.

The figures cement the iPad as the clear tablet market leader, as Android tablets have only seen about 440 million tablet-specific app downloads so far. “In terms of hardware, the iPad device still offers much more compared to the current crop of tablets in the market,” said Dan Shey, ABI’s practice director in a press release. “Android is currently being used on many low end tablets that do not offer experiences anywhere near the iPad and this dampens the download momentum for users.”

European app tracking company Distimo found in November the 200 top grossing iPad apps generated more revenue than the top 200 hundred Android apps (both tablet and smartphone), which also indicates that both Android tablet app downloads and revenues are still well behind the iPad’s.

However, while Android tablets may be lagging now, Amazon’s Android-based Kindle Fire is challenging the iPad and eating into its sales according to investment firm Morgan Keegan. Strong holiday sales of the Kindle Fire prompted the company to lower its iPad fourth quarter sales estimates from 16 to 13 million. ABI Research also singled out the steady tablet adoption of Google’s latest version of the Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich as a signal that Android tablets will soon offer user experiences more in line with the iPad.

At the end of the third quarter of 2011, there were 120,000 apps specifically developed for the iPad, according to ABI.（source:insidemobileapps）

2）Nexon Expands Its Popular MapleStory Franchise With New Cave Crawlers iOS Game

Pete Davison

Fresh off its recent initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nexon is releasing a mobile spin-off of its popular free-to-play RPG MapleStory.

The iOS app, called MapleStory: Cave Crawlers, is the latest entry in the long-running franchise, which has been a staple of the free-to-play market since 2003. Unlike its computer-based cousin, however, Cave Crawlers is a single player paid app. Social functionality is limited to Game Center achievements — there is no in-game interaction with other players.

The player is tasked with sending an individual fighter or thief character into the dungeons of the MapleStory world. Once in a dungeon, the player navigates around an abstract isometric map screen using simple touch controls, gathering items with which to strengthen their character and battling monsters.

Unlike many more traditional RPGs, Cave Crawlers’ combat system is based around timing and reflexes. Each monster has a “time bar.” A cursor moves on top of it. It’s faster or slower depending on the monster’s agility. For example, when you’re battling a giant snail, it moves more slowly than when you’re fighting a plant monster.

Colored marks along the time bar indicate what will happen if the player taps the screen when the cursor is over it — orange marks indicate a normal hit; red marks indicate a critical hit which causes more damage; white marks indicate the monster will deflect the player’s blow and counterattack; black marks indicate the player will miss entirely; and the rare red marks with exclamation points indicate the opportunity for a Deadly Blow which will kill the monster instantly.

The simplified RPG gameplay is a good fit for the mobile platform, enabling the player to explore dungeons and battle monsters with ease without getting bogged down in complicated interfaces. A degree of depth is provided by the variety of equipment and items available for players to find in the dungeons, but the game is primarily intended to be a fast-paced arcade-like experience with simple one-touch controls.

Cave Crawlers, despite being a paid app, also features a Cash Shop for additional in-app purchases. These are mostly extra currency packs but there are also helpful consumable items such as health potions, scrolls which reveal the whole map and weapon enhancers. The vast majority of Cash Shop consumables are also available as in-game pickups for those with the patience to look for them. But because item drops happen randomly, purchasing them in the Cash Shop is often a quicker — if more expensive — way to build up a stockpile.

While it may seem counter productive to include in-app purchases in a paid app, Roman Bui of App Zap recently told us that there is strong evidence suggesting paid app customers often monetize at a much higher rate than free ones. Another South Korean developer, Gamevil, has done this frequently with hits like Air Penguin.

Cave Crawlers currently features five dungeons for players to explore, with more to be added in future, regular updates. Nexon hasn’t yet said if these new areas will be available as free updates to the base game or will require in-app purchases to access. The game has so far received one update, but this was simply to fix bugs.

The company’s shares are still trading below their initial price following December’s IPO at 1,153 yen, giving the company a market capitalization of 490.5 billion yen ($6.39 billion).（source:insidemobileapps）

3）Gamevil’s Air Penguin does 13 million downloads across iOS and Android

by Jon Jordan

Demonstrating that the simplest games are often the most popular, Korean publisher Gamevil has announced that Air Penguin has done over 13 million downloads in the eight months since it was released.

Previously best known for its hardcore RPGs, the casual ice hopping game was developed by third party studio Enterfly.

It launched on iOS with a 99c and a free Lite version, generating $1 million within its first month.

The big boost of downloads came with the free-to-play Android version, however. It’s currently listed as having received between 5 and 10 million downloads on Android Market.

The game is monetised as players can buy fish as in-app purchases to unlock levels and gain customisation options.

Happy feet

“Such positive records exemplify what’s possible with mobile game know-how and the ability to leverage our sizable fan base across many titles,” said Youn-Il Jung, Gamevil’s publishing manager.

“We continue to have high hopes for Air Penguin and our published titles under the Gamevil Partner Fund.”

The fund is a $10 million-strong initiative from the company to sign up content from third parties studios.

“Partnering with Gamevil in planning and development has brought out the strength of both companies, and we will work together for Air Penguin’s continued success,” added Enterfly’s CEO Junhee Lee.（source:pocketgamer）

4）MindJolt teams up with Humane Society in Fluff Friends Rescue iPhone game

Dean Takahashi

In partnership with the Humane Society, MindJolt  SGN is launching a new game built around rescuing pets called Fluff Friends Rescue.

The iOS game lets users grasp the real-world challenges of rescuing pets by having them set up a rescue operation, nursing animals back to health and running an animal shelter.

The game is the first created by the former SGN game studio in Argentina under the full direction of the Los Angeles-based MindJolt management team. MindJolt, which published and distributed games on Facebook, bought the company last year and has been using it as a springboard into the mobile market. Now the Fluff Friends Rescue game is the company’s first stab at its own original mobile content, said Colin Digiaro, chief operating officer at MindJolt SGN, in an interview.

Digiaro said the idea for the game came from studying all of the pet games in the App Store. Almost uniformly, the games required players to purchase pets from a pet store, which are often criticized for getting their animals from “puppy mills.” The game highlights the fact that there are more humane ways to adopt pets, such as through rescue operations.

“We created a positive game with a more appropriate message for gamers,” Digiaro said.

The Humane Society of the United States liked the socially aware idea enough to become a partner on the game, which features cute and cuddly animals. The name comes from SGN’s older Fluff Friends game, which carries some brand recognition since it once had a large number of users. The user spends time rescuing strays and nurses them back to health, helping them increase their happiness with veterinarian, food, grooming, and play-time activities.

“Fluff Friends Rescue goes above and beyond the message that adopting shelter pets is important,” said Betsy McFarland, vice president, companion animals for The Humane Society of the United States. “It makes the point that in addition to a loving home, pets need proper nourishment, regular grooming, play time and quality medical care; these vital messages about pet care are what elevates Fluff Friends Rescue from other pet games and why we’re excited to be involved.”

The game is available now for the iPhone, iPod and iPad, and other versions for Facebook and Android could come out later. The game allows users to purchase Humane Society-branded items, and the proceeds of these particular items will be donated to the Human Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.MindJolt SGN has more than 35 million monthly active users, 45 million mobile downloads, and 80 million installs on social platforms. The company is led by Chris DeWolfe, founder of MySpace, and is funded by Austin Ventures.（source:venturebeat）

5）Apple nabs Adobe’s Todd Teresi to head iAd

Devindra Hardawar

More than four months after Apple lost iAd boss Andy Miller, the company has finally appointed a replacement.

Todd Teresi, formerly a vice president of Media Solutions at Adobe, is now steering Apple’s mobile ad ship, Bloomberg reports. More specifically, Teresi will serve as vice president of iAd and report to VP of Internet Services Eddy Cue, according to GigaOm.

The news is a glimmer of hope for iAd, which has had trouble finding clients even after discounting its rates by 60 percent. Miller’s departure in August didn’t help either. He came over to Apple when it bought his mobile ad firm, Quattro Wireless, for $275 million in 2010, but ended up leaving for a venture capital gig at Highland Capital. Since then, Cue has been juggling iAd among his many other duties, but he likely hasn’t had much of a chance to focus on the plaform’s problems.

Teresi may be able to figure out a way to make iAd successful — though that’s certainly going to be much more difficult now than when the platform launched in the summer of 2010. Teresi was also the chief revenue officer at Quantcast, and was at Yahoo for a decade, where he managed global sales and eventually ads, according to his LinkedIn profile.（source:venturebeat）