As noted by German sites Flo's Weblog [Google translation] and iFun.de [Google translation], a curious new iOS application that seems to be from Apple has appeared in the App Store. The new app, known as GameStore [App Store], debuted on December 31st and seems to be a test app of some sort, offering several racing-themed in-app purchases but without any actual functionality. In-app purchases made through the app do go through and users' accounts are charged for them, but with no actual game supporting the content available, they have no functionality. When the app's listing is viewed in the App Store from an iOS device, the posting date is listed as June 9, 2009, which was during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference just ahead of the public launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and the debut of in-app purchasing. Consequently, may simply be an internal testing app for the feature that was Read More

Everyone with an iPhone is familiar with Game Center, but have you ever heard of GameStore? Discovered by Florian Schimanke, it's a game-oriented app from Apple that went live on December 31st. Unlike other iOS apps from Apple, which are well-known and well-publicized, GameStore is a mystery. As far as we know, Apple has not publicly acknowledged the app. It appeared without any fanfare and is only a shell. The description is very sparse and says only, "This application allows you to buy different things from within the app." The app costs 99-cents, and you can buy and download it to your iPhone. The app itself is barebones but references to "F1 Grand Prix Track" and "Laser Gun" suggests it'll let you by in-game items for your characters and profile. There's also a cart and a checkout process that'll track recent items and let you restore your past purchases. There are Read More