Apple updated the category and sub-category pages for the App Store

Yesterday, I noticed a tweet from Dave Stevenson that mentioned a change in the sub-category pages in iTunes. Dave was right, the pages got a makeover.

Promotional Space

Apple gave themselves more promotional space and featured lists by adding targeted category pages. The change means that each category has it’s own ‘Featured’ section, as well as ‘New and Noteworthy’ apps. They added a the same slider we’re used to seeing at the front of the store.

Available on mobile and desktop

The nice thing about having the store powered by simple HTML code is that Apple can update the design of the store without updating the software.

The new category Featured pages are only accessible from the main Featured page. A list of popular categories and a drop-down menu now appears at the top on both iPad and iPhone versions of the store. Pick a category from the list and you will be taken to the new, category-specific Featured page.

What this means

As a developer, and for my developer friends, getting featured is a big deal. As Apple expands it’s featured sections, and focused apps, more of us can find our way into the list of apps that are worthy of their endorsement. It’s a good thing for us, and for users.