If you're a regular shopper at the iTunes App Store, you may have already noticed the latest feature added to Apple's digital distribution platform: the ability gift apps. The Apple devotees at MacRumors first spotted the new option in the iTunes Store, which now allows users to purchase games and applications for their friends (or enemies, if that's how you roll).
According to the updated App Store terms and conditions agreement, users cannot use the gift option for upgrades, iPod Touch operating system updates, or purchases made within an application. Other than that, everything else appears to be fair game -- so long as the recipients meet any hardware and parental control requirements, anyhow. There's also a note that gifts are non-refundable unless proven faulty or misdescribed.
It might not sound like a huge deal, but offering this gift feature could open up entirely new revenue streams for Apple and their partners on the App Store. Major online retailers like Steam, Impulse, and the Wii's Shop Channel already offer similar game gifting options, while others -- including the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store -- still lag behind.
