The Apple App Store has been growing to a point where you almost wonder if it’ll explode one day or if it can realistically get any larger. There are tons of cool new applications everyday, and many existing applications that drop prices every now and then. Getting up to date about those limited time offers can be very tedious if you’re interested in some apps or games but think they’re expensive now. Yes, there are actually tons of actual apps on the App Store that let you follow these offers, like BargainBin, PandoraBox, AppMiner, some of which let you create watchlists to monitor price changes. But let’s face it, do you remember to launch those apps everyday to check for changes, or do you find the badges notifications efficient? I didn’t, I wanted an email when one of my favorite apps drops its price, and I wanted a history of an app’s price to see if the developer tends to do frequent or infrequent offers on it so I can snatch it for a realistic price. That’s when I discovered AppShopper.
AppShopper is an online app directory with top lists, a blog, a monitor of new released apps and price drops on existing apps, a personalized RSS feed creator and a lot more. But the true benefit of AppShopper shows when you create your own account and build your application library.
When you search for an application, the results show with a price badge and two checkboxes: Own It and Want It. If you check the “Own It” box, the app will end in your My Apps page where you can rate it and get notified of updates. If you check “Want It”, the app will end up in your Wishlist page. AppShopper will send you an email every time one of your Wishlist apps gets a price drop, it’s that simple.
One of the other benefits of AppShopper is the actual app page. It presents all the information that the iTunes page does with one striking difference. The App Activity column shows you every version update and price modification in the application. In the example above, taken from the page of 2Do, you’ll see that ever since the app was introduced, almost 2years ago, the price fluctuates between 3.99$ and 6.99$. Currently, it’s on a limited-time offer for 3.99$ to celebrate the arrival of v2.0 and given that I’m a big fan of the free version, I decided to buy it now since it won’t realistically get any cheaper.
There are a lot more functions, hidden or visible in AppShopper, that make it an essential stop for anyone owning an iPod Touch or iPhone and interested in the whole app-phenomenon created by the App Store. My personal favorite features are the personalized RSS feeds, the email notification for Wishlist apps, and the App Activity column.
Do you use a service to monitor timely deals in the AppStore? Had you discovered AppShopper before or do you plan on using it now to check when some of your most wanted apps will receive a price drop?