Apple wants app developers to pay to show up on top of App store

The new campaign could create a new revenue generation path for the iPhone-maker. Google has already turned the same logic into multimillion business

Apple seems to be quietly working on a way to generate revenue by asking its own app developers to pay to remain or show up on top of the iOS App Store

Apple seems to be quietly working on a way to generate revenue by asking its own app developers to pay to remain or show up on top of the iOS App Store.

According to a Bloomberg report, currently 100 employees are involved in the project along with engineers from Apple's advertising group iAD that the company is scaling up. iAD's Todd Teresi who is now the company's vice president is heading the campaign.

The new campaign could create a new revenue generation path for the iPhone-maker. Google has already turned the same logic into multimillion business. The growing marketing budgets of app developers such as "Clash of Clans" maker Supercell Oy have proven to be lucrative sources of revenue for Internet companies, including Facebook and Twitter.

If Apple goes through with the idea, "it's going to be huge," Krishna Subramanian, the co-founder of Captiv8, which helps brands market using social media, was quoted as saying.

"Anything that you can do to help drive more awareness to your app, to get organic downloads, is critical," he added. In addition to paid search, the team is trying to improve the way customers browse in the App Store. The new search team hasn't been working long and it's unclear when any new changes will be introduced. Apple has declined to comment on the new efforts.