App Store getting Kids category; Official controller support coming to iOS

Amidst all the furore of Xbox and PlayStation at this year’s E3, a couple of important iOS announcement slipped under many people’s radars.

The first is that Apple is introducing a Kids category to the App Store. As The Guardian notes, kid-specific downloads are currently found scattered throughout the Education, Entertainment, Games and Books categories of the online portal.

Apple has also said that users will be able to search for children’s apps by age rating, although it’s not yet known if Apple will be vetting titles and assessing their age suitability or whether this will be based on developer-supplied information.

The paper also speculates that the move could enable Apple to set specific rules for children’s apps, such as a maximum limit on the size of individual in-app purchases” – which would certainly prove a minor PR victory for Apple.

In other Apple news the company will also introduced official support for iOS-compatible game controllers via a dedicated API in iOS 7.

Standardised rules have been formulated for design, button placement, response time and analogue stick dead zones. Two designs have been okayed – standalone wireless controllers and cradle designs that house the whole phone.

As well as a slew of new gaming hardware for iOS devices this should also pave the way for standardised controller support across all games.

There’s no word yet on whther Apple will decide to produce its own iOS controller.