Giving the pleasure of apps this year
Apple makes the process really easy
Apps, apps, apps. You hear about them all the time for smartphones and tablets and it’s easy to see why. People have their favourites, but for the most part, there’s an immense catalogue of apps that remain undiscovered.
Gifting those might be the most functional present you give to someone over the holidays.
Viewed from afar, you might see apps as virtual accessories that enhance an existing product. You may not be able to get your friend an iPhone 5, but you could manage a $25 gift card or that $15 app he or she found interesting. If the app has a lasting impact, it can prove to be one of the most thoughtful gifts.
Imagine a scenario where a youngster fancies himself a budding DJ, but doesn’t have the money to get those two or three DJing apps for the iPad his parents got him. The apps almost make the iPad new again. And since apps vary in price and functionality, the sky really is the limit on how far you want to go.
Apple has included gifting as an option for any app you want to buy from the App Store, except they removed it for iOS devices when iOS 6 was released, which means you can now only gift an app via iTunes on a Mac or PC. All you need to do is search for the app you want in the iTunes Store, click the arrow pointing down next to the price and choose “Gift This App.” From there, you type in the recipient’s email, a personal message and that’s it — the gift code will be emailed over. If you wanted to be a bit more personal, you could print out a gift card on your printer instead and hand it over.
The two other ways to do this is to not gift a specific app, but rather a gift certificate that can be used toward any apps, or other content in the iTunes Store. You can find that option on the store’s main page where it says “Buy iTunes Gifts.” If not that, then just buy iTunes gift cards at any number of stores that carry them.
Apple has made the process really easy, but the same can’t be said of Google, Microsoft and RIM.
If you want to gift apps for Android or BlackBerry, you could always try a gift card from Mobiroo. You can find them at big box electronics retailers, Shoppers Drug Mart and Shell gas stations. They’re the best option for Android because Google Play gift cards are currently only available in the U.S.
Mobiroo cards allow recipients to purchase apps just like iTunes gift cards, and without having to pony up a credit card number. Instructions are included with the cards, so nothing gets lost in the shuffle.
Unfortunately, Windows Phone doesn’t have any kind of a gifting program yet, and Mobiroo doesn’t support the platform, either. In other words, even if you wanted to gift an app for another Windows Phone user, there’s no process to actually get it done.