苹果调整其应用排名算法，并于最近取缔奖励式下载模式的举动，使许多iOS应用开发商心里五味杂陈。

然而，手机浏览网页服务供应商OfferMobi联合创始人及首席执行官Howie Schwart认为，让开发商不满的并非苹果政策调整本身，而是这种变化毫无预警的突发性。

Schwartz在最近的媒体访谈中表达了它对苹果应用商店政策变化的看法，并称苹果App Store的这一变化最后会只会对开发商更为有利。以下是游戏邦编译的访谈内容：

App Store

你认为苹果新的应用排名算法会是什么样的？

我们认为苹果新的应用排名算法的设计向“黑匣子”靠近。也就是说，它会与谷歌的搜索排名和Android Market发展方向相似。

有些开发商了解了如何排名之后，就有可能通过作弊手段或者人为操纵推高应用排名。在我们看来，苹果将会继续调整其应用排行算法，根据应用下载量、访问和使用频率，或者其他黏性指标进行排名。

同时，如同谷歌对他们的搜索排行一样，我们认为苹果也将会有规律的调整这些因素，这使它难以只根据单一的因素——比如下载量作为唯一的排行因素。

对苹果取缔奖励式下载的措施有何看法？

我们认为这对于整个市场来说是有利的。90%的市场专注于同一件事会导致“泡沫”的产生。相对于其他营销模式，应用开发商更侧重于采用奖励式安装模式。

同时我们也认为这种对奖励式下载的做法，使那些原本可专注于开发高质量应用的开发者分散了注意力，他们原来应该靠质量在市场上立足。

我们并不认为这就意味着奖励式下载行为就此告终——提供奖励式下载服务的网络将进行自我调整，并适当限这种模式的使用量，所以它只会让各种市场营销模式更加平衡。开发商不可将奖励式安装模式作为自己的唯一出路。

在这两种情况下，开发群体将如何应对这些变化？

我认为他们面临的最大的问题是苹果没有明确的政策走向，也没有和他们进行沟通。

在这种情况下，如果开发商无从获得上游环节提供的方向，就很难制定具体的运营模式和营销预算决策。这个市场需要明确的游戏规则，或者至少充分了解了游戏规则改变的方式，否则开发者群体的创新能力将会停滞不前。

天使投资人和风险投资者对开发商的评估指标将发生重大变化，开发商不能，也永远不应该盲目的将下载安装数量作为关键指标。这样的指标是错误的，并且是会变化的——这种变化会随着苹果公司目前的调整而加速。

评估开发商表现的较恰当方法应该是DAU（每日活跃用户）。只有活跃用户才能让你通过应用内置付费功能和移动广告创造更多收益。

当开发商的市场表现取决于活跃用户数量，以及他们如何通过用户下载安装应用进行创收时，才能促使他们改变营销活动的组合，不那么关注于相当于低价值或无价值用户的奖励式安装数量。

OfferMobi如何应对这些变化？

我们认为关注非奖励性安装是应用检索的下一个阶段。它支持开发者明白提供固定售价的产品，并为真正想要使用这些产品的用户提供更高质量的重要性，而不再盲目以奖励手段“贿赂”用户。

这些实实在在的下载安装更有可能带来促进更多应用内置付费功能的销售，并结合移动广告使用户转化为活跃的忠实用户。OfferMobi应用搜索网络百分之百专注于iOS和Android平台的非奖励性安装模式。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Apple’s move against app incentivisation will force developers to up their game, claims OfferMobi CEO Howie Schwartz

by Keith Andrew

The combination of Apple’s tweaks to its App Store ranking algorithm and the firm’s recent clamp down on app incentivisation models left many working on iOS with a nasty taste in their mouths.

However, according to Howie Schwartz – co-founder and CEO of mobile web affiliate network OfferMobi – it was the unannounced nature of the changes that put people’s backs up, rather than the adjustments themselves.

We caught up with Schwartz to ask why he thinks, in the long run, Apple’s App Store shake up will turn out to be a force for good.

Pocket Gamer: What do you think Apple’s new App Store ranking algorithm consists of?

Howie Schwartz: We believe Apple’s new App Store ranking algorithm is being designed to be more of a ‘black box’ moving forward. That is, similar to both Google search rankings and also Google’s direction of Android Market).

When it is clear how rankings work, it can and will be ‘gamed’ or manipulated. Apple, in our opinion, will continue to tweak the App Store rankings to include factors such as number and frequency of opens and other usage or engagement metrics.

We also believe the Apple will tweak these factors on a very regular basis, just as Google does with their search rankings, to make it more difficult to point at one item – such as number of installs – as the only driver.

What’s your take on Apple’s clamp down on app incentivisation schemes?

We believe it is positive for the overall market. 90 percent of a market focusing on any one thing leads to a ‘bubble’. App developers have been way to focused on incentivised installs versus other marketing options.

We also believe this obsession with incentivisation distracts developers who may have otherwise focused on building more quality into their apps so they could stand on their own in the marketplace.

We also don’t feel this is the end of incentivisation – this will lead to more balanced marketing campaigns, as the incentivised networks will have to tweak and limit the volume of installs.

Developers moving forward will not be able to rely on only incentivised installs as their only marketing channel.

In both cases, how is the development community reacting to these changes?

It’s mixed. I think the biggest issue is the lack of clear direction and communication from Apple.

At this moment in time, it’s difficult for developers to make decisions on particular business models and marketing budgets without more clarity from the top down. The market needs to know the rules, or at least understand fully how the game has changed, or innovation at the developer level will stall.

We also believe this is going to change the valuation metrics of developers significantly when dealing with angel and venture investors. Developers cannot, and never should have, focus blindly on installs as the key metric. That metric is wrong and will change – a change accelerated by the current Apple tweaks.

The proper method to value a developer is DAU (daily active users). Only with active users can you monetise your installed base with in-app purchases and mobile advertising.

When developers are properly valued by active users, as well as how well they are monetising their installs, they will be forced to change their marketing campaign mix and not focus so heavily on incentivised installs, which equal low or no value users.

How is OfferMobi approaching these changes?

We believe that a focus on non-incentivised Installs is the next step in app discovery. This allows developers to understand a fixed price per install and provides higher value users that actually wanted to install and use their App versus. an incentivised ‘bribe’.

These real installs are more likely to make in-app purchases and interact with mobile advertising and become active loyal users. The OfferMobi App Discovery Network is focused 100 percent on non-incentivised installs for the iOS and Android platforms.（source:pocketgamer）