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Difference between revisions of "GameStore"

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{{Infobox software
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| name = GameStore
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| title = GameStore
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| logo = [[File:GameStore Icon.png|118px]]
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| collapsible =
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| author = Apple Inc.
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| developer = Apple Inc.
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| released = {{Start date and age|2009|12|31|df=yes}}
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| discontinued =
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| latest release version = 1.8<br /><small>(latest ''known'' version)</small>
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| latest release date =
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| latest preview version =
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| latest preview date =
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| programming language =
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| operating system = [[wikipedia:iOS|iOS]]
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| platform =
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| size = 134 KB
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| language = [[wikipedia:English language|English]]
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| status =
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| genre =
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| license = [[wikipedia:Proprietary software|Closed source]]
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| website =
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}}
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== Summary ==
  
== Summary ==
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'''GameStore''' was an internal application for testing the in-app purchase system on iPhoneOS. The app was accidentally submitted to the [[App Store]] on {{date|2011|12|31}}. The app appeared in the Utilities section of the App Store for $0.99 and had a brief description reading, "This application allows you to buy different things from within the app." Strangely, the app was rated for ages 12 and up due to "Horror/Fear Themes," "Simulated Gambling," "Profanity or Crude Humor," "Realistic Violence," and "Mature/Suggestive Themes," despite not having any of the content mentioned. The App Store also listed the original post date for GameStore as {{date|2009|06|09}}, which would have been during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), just ahead of the public launch of iPhoneOS 3.0, which introduced in-app purchases. The GameStore app had 4 tabs including Products List, Shopping Cart, Payment Q, and Settings. The Products List tab contained multiple paid items for games that did not officially exist. Users could buy items like "2 Lives" for $2.99, "Awesome Sword" for $0.99, "Ax" for $19.99, and "Big Gun" for $1.99. Items could be added to the Shopping Cart tab, from which the user could then purchase them. The Payment Q tab acted as somewhat of a digital receipt, containing your purchase history, owned items, restored items, failed items, and pending items. The Settings tab contained several options including a Restore from Purchase History button, the ability to Quick buy using SKU (e.g. SKU-GameStore-BigGun), as well as 3 switches; Get product SKUs from server, Display product images, and App displays error dialogs.
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'''GameStore''' is an internal sample code app which was accidentally deployed to the App Store on 31 Dec 2011 and subsequently pulled on 2 Jan 2012 after it received publicity from Apple blogs. The release date of July 2009 states that this app was originally deployed during the [[Worldwide Developers Conferance#2009|WWDC 2009]] where Apple announced [[iOS]] 3 with [[In-App Purchases]].
  
   
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== Removal & Refunds ==
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<gallery caption="GameStore on iOS" widths="100px" heights="100px" perrow="4">
  
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On {{date|2012|01|02}}, after many news outlets had published articles about the mysterious GameStore app, Apple removed it from the App Store. In the following days, Apple sent out emails to customers who had bought GameStore or any of its contents, in which they admitted that they had made a mistake in releasing the app "prematurely", and that they had issued refunds to users who had purchased anything from GameStore. The full contents of the email said, "You recently purchased the GameStore app. The app was made available for sale prematurely. We apologize for the problem and have refunded the purchase amount back to your account. These funds will be applied to your original payment method within 5 business days." The use of the word "prematurely" in the email led many people to believe that Apple had originally planned on having a separate store, similar to that of the App Store, that only sold games. This theory was proven to be false as no such thing was every released.
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Image:Gamestore 01.PNG|GameStore Screen 01
  
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Image:Gamestore 02.PNG|GameStore Screen 02
  
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== Screenshots ==
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Image:Gamestore 03.PNG|GameStore Screen 03
  
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<gallery>
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Image:Gamestore 04.PNG|GameStore Screen 04
  
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Image:Gamestore 01.PNG|Products List Tab
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Image:Gamestore 02.PNG|Shopping Cart Tab
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Image:Gamestore 03.PNG|Payment Q Tab
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Image:Gamestore 04.PNG|Settings Tab
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
   
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== See Also ==
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[[Category:Apple Internal Apps]]
  
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* [[App Store]]
   
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== External Links ==
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{{stub|Software}}
  
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* [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gamestore/id318994886?mt=8 GameStore in the App Store] (no longer working)
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* [http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1302052 Discussion on MacRumors forum]
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[[Category:Apple Internal Apps]]

Latest revision as of 01:15, 17 September 2021

GameStore
GameStore Icon.png
Original author(s) Apple Inc.
Developer(s) Apple Inc.
Initial release 31 December 2009; 14 years ago
Stable release 1.8
(latest known version)
Operating system iOS
Size 134 KB
Available in English
License Closed source

Summary

GameStore was an internal application for testing the in-app purchase system on iPhoneOS. The app was accidentally submitted to the App Store on 31 December 2011. The app appeared in the Utilities section of the App Store for $0.99 and had a brief description reading, "This application allows you to buy different things from within the app." Strangely, the app was rated for ages 12 and up due to "Horror/Fear Themes," "Simulated Gambling," "Profanity or Crude Humor," "Realistic Violence," and "Mature/Suggestive Themes," despite not having any of the content mentioned. The App Store also listed the original post date for GameStore as 9 June 2009, which would have been during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), just ahead of the public launch of iPhoneOS 3.0, which introduced in-app purchases. The GameStore app had 4 tabs including Products List, Shopping Cart, Payment Q, and Settings. The Products List tab contained multiple paid items for games that did not officially exist. Users could buy items like "2 Lives" for $2.99, "Awesome Sword" for $0.99, "Ax" for $19.99, and "Big Gun" for $1.99. Items could be added to the Shopping Cart tab, from which the user could then purchase them. The Payment Q tab acted as somewhat of a digital receipt, containing your purchase history, owned items, restored items, failed items, and pending items. The Settings tab contained several options including a Restore from Purchase History button, the ability to Quick buy using SKU (e.g. SKU-GameStore-BigGun), as well as 3 switches; Get product SKUs from server, Display product images, and App displays error dialogs.

Removal & Refunds

On 2 January 2012, after many news outlets had published articles about the mysterious GameStore app, Apple removed it from the App Store. In the following days, Apple sent out emails to customers who had bought GameStore or any of its contents, in which they admitted that they had made a mistake in releasing the app "prematurely", and that they had issued refunds to users who had purchased anything from GameStore. The full contents of the email said, "You recently purchased the GameStore app. The app was made available for sale prematurely. We apologize for the problem and have refunded the purchase amount back to your account. These funds will be applied to your original payment method within 5 business days." The use of the word "prematurely" in the email led many people to believe that Apple had originally planned on having a separate store, similar to that of the App Store, that only sold games. This theory was proven to be false as no such thing was every released.

Screenshots

  • Products List Tab

  • Shopping Cart Tab

  • Payment Q Tab

  • Settings Tab

See Also

External Links

Retrieved from "https://www.theiphonewiki.com/w/index.php?title=GameStore&oldid=116989"