.APP opened for pre-orders on March 29, allowing for trademark owners to register .APP domain names matching their trademark in a so called sunrise period, before .APP is made available for the general public.
The Sunrise period was a great success and there was over 3000 domain names in the zone file when the phase was closed setting a record for the biggest sunrise of the 2012 round to date.
In the .APP zone file we find great big brands, such as über and Instagram, but also software vendors as well as banking and retail and many more industries. .APP seem to have appealed as a very useable and marketable domain name across industries.
.APP is a more secure domain for apps. A .APP domain name can be used as a landing page to share trustworthy download links, keep users up to date, and deep link to in-app content. With a very memorable .APP domain name, it is easy for people to find and learn more about your app.
Key benefit of the .APP domain is that security is built in. The .APP top-level domain is included on the HSTS preload list, making HTTPS required on all connections to .APP websites. This helps protect against ad malware and tracking injection by ISPs, in addition to safeguarding against spying on open WiFi networks. .APP will be the first TLD with enforced security available for everyone.
The past five days the .APP domain name has been available to a premium price and registration has since doubled. There are now 6000 domain names in the zone file.
General Availiability will open at 18:00 today. Orders can be placed all day. We will follow the general availability launch with great interest.
