Apple announced that customers have downloaded over 50 billion apps from the Apple App Store. Customers are downloading more than 800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month on the App Store. The 50 billionth app was Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC. The App Store opened in July 2008 with 500 apps. Since its introduction, Apple's developer community has created an app for doing almost everything imaginable on an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch - the App Store now offers more than 850,000 iOS apps in 155 countries around the world, with more than 350,000 native iPad apps available. [source]

Wacom announced Bamboo Loop, a new app for iPhone and iPod Touch. It combines principles of photo sharing and messaging in a unique way: digital, paper-like photocards are sent ("looped") to friends, family members and close colleagues. Unlike many apps in which a photo is added separately to a text message, in Bamboo Loop photos take centre stage and can be illustrated and personalised with the built-in editing tools. Sketch, scribble or write on the photo with the finger or a Bamboo Stylus (e.g. the Bamboo Stylus mini that can be attached to the jack of the iPhone), loop it back to the creator, send it on to someone new or share it with social networks. The app currently runs on iOS 5 and higher, and supports iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPod Touch 4, and iPod Touch 5. [source]

TRAKTOR DJ, Native Instruments professional DJ app for iOS, is now available for iPhone and iPod touch. Now you can deliver DJ sets using familiar iPhone gestures, with waveforms at your fingertips. Set up beat grids, cue points and BPM tags on your iPhone to sync with your TRAKTOR PRO setup. Perfectly adapted to the iPhone's compact screen estate, TRAKTOR DJ for iPhone puts professional DJing in the palm of your hand. [source]

Native Instruments released PULSWERK, a new MASCHINE Expansion designed for minimalistic house and techno. Aside from its 30 drum kits, PULSWERK contains 20 unique Special Kits created exclusively with pitched sound sources. The Expansion also features an array of Multi-Effect Kits containing pre-sequenced, tempo-synced effect chains and 60 new specially designed MASSIVE presets. Combining these, PULSWERK provides an extensive toolkit for producers eager to turn deep sonic experimentation into finished professional productions. PULSWERK is out now for MASCHINE, MASCHINE MIKRO, and iMASCHINE, priced at $49 US / 49 EUR. A compact version of PULSWERK is also available for iMASCHINE in the in-app store for $0.99 US / 0,89 EUR. [source]

Arturia's iMini, a recreation of the classic 1971 Minimoog synthesizer for the iPad (iPad 2, 2, Mini), has been updated to version 1.1. The update adds Audiobus support enabling to connect iMini to GarageBand and other DAWs, background audio support, and virtual MIDI functionality permitting iMini to respond to other apps that send MIDI. Download it here. [source]

Steinberg announced the availability of the Cubase 7.0.3, Cubase Artist 7.0.3, Nuendo 6.0.3 and Cubase iC Pro 1.0.3 maintenance updates. Based on real-world requests and reports, the fully supported Cubase and Nuendo updates add 20 improvements and resolve almost 70 issues. Cubase 7.0.3 and Nuendo 6.0.3 are the recommended versions to use in combination with the upcoming Yamaha NUAGE remote control surfaces and audio interfaces. The Cubase iC Pro 1.0.3 update resolves four issues and adds support for Punch In/Out in the transport page settings. This update is now available through Apple's App Store . [source]

Native Instruments released HELIOS RAY, a new MASCHINE Expansion providing sounds and beats drawing from London's broken beat scene and LA's abstract beat producers. Containing three separate styles of drum kits as well as unique Melodic Kits and new MASSIVE presets, HELIOS RAY is out now ($49 UE / 49 EUR) for MASCHINE and MASCHINE MIKRO, with a compact version for iMASCHINE also now available as an in-app purchase via the Apple App Store, price at $0.99 US / 0.89 EUR. [source]

Autodesk announced Socialcam 5.0 for iOS, delivering the next generation of mobile video sharing. Major new features on the iOS platform include a complete redesign of visual effects, 720p HD video, High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, and a new icon for Socialcam. Developed in collaboration with Autodesk's expert professional video effects teams, the new 720p HD video and HDR video with one click real-time mapping and color correction enables Socialcam-with more than 20 million downloads-to continue to break through barriers to mobile video adoption by making it easy to express creativity and individuality wherever inspiration strikes-anytime, anywhere, and on any device. [source]

Adobe announced the immediate availability of a new version of Adobe Photoshop Touch, optimized for iPhone, iPod touch, and Android smart phones. Inspired by the highly successful Photoshop Touch for tablets, the phone app brings core features of Photoshop desktop software to mobile devices and offers similar intuitive, touch-based gestures and features. Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone offers powerful new capabilities for smartphone users, including the ability to enhance images using popular Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, filters, tonal and color adjustments; apply effects and add graphical text fo; edit images as large as 12 megapixels with layers; combine images together quickly using the Scribble Selection feature, and easily refine selections with the Refine Edge tool; and automatically sync images to Adobe Creative Cloud with free 2 GB of storage. Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone is immediately available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for $4.99 US. For iOS devices, the app requires iOS 5, iPhone 4S and iPod touch 5th generation; Android phones must run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later. [source]

In the following video report from CNN, documentary film director Malik Bendjelloul talks about how he used a $1.99 US iPhone app to finish shooting his Oscar-winning film, Searching for Sugar Man. The film about Detroit musician Rodriguez who became famous in South Africa, won an Oscar for a Documentary Feature, in February 2012. Bendjelloul shot the movie on film, but ran out of budget, calling an iPhone app called 8mm by Nexvio to rescue. The app gave his video a film feel: "It looks like real film," says Bendjelloul. "You can't tell the difference." [source]