MacRumors

Apple has expanded its Volume Purchase Program to nine new countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. The program allows enterprise businesses and educational institutions to purchase and distribute apps to their workforces easily and quickly.

The App Store features thousands of great business apps designed to deliver immediate benefits for your company. With the App Store Volume Purchase Program, your business can tap into the potential of world-class apps and offer a broad range of solutions for your employees to make them even
more productive. Whether you’re purchasing apps for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, the Volume Purchase Program offers a simple and efficient method to purchase iOS apps from the App Store in volume for distribution within your organization.

Both purchasers and app developers need to specifically enroll in the program in order to be eligible for bulk purchases. Corporate buyers don't get a discount, but it is much easier to purchase bulk apps via VPP instead of requiring corporate iOS device owners to purchase apps separately and get reimbursed -- developers can choose to offer a discount to K-12 and higher education institutions, but it is not required.

In case there was some continuing doubt, iMore reports that all the circulating iPhone part leaks are accurate and will be what the new iPhone will look like on September 12th:

iMore has learned that recent parts leaks and dummy phones are accurate representations of what the new iPhone (iPhone 5,1) will look like when Apple announces it on September 12, 2012. Almost identical in design to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the major visible differences will include a 4-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a metallic plate across most the back, and a miniaturized Dock connector and relocated 3.5mm headset jack along the bottom.

iMore cites "reliable" sources for the confirmation. The confirmation is notable in that iMore was the first to report on the September 12th announcement date for the new iPhone. That media event date was confirmed by Apple today.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a denial of responsibility regarding the leak of more than 1,000,000 iOS UDID numbers last night.

In a statement issued in the past hour:

The FBI is aware of published reports alleging that an FBI laptop was compromised and private data regarding Apple UDIDs was exposed. At this time there is no evidence indicating that an FBI laptop was compromised or that the FBI either sought or obtained this data.

The statement is not a blanket denial that the information did not come from the FBI, but instead says there "is no evidence" that a laptop was compromised or that the FBI sought or obtained the UDIDs.

Business Insider reports on a new research note from Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley claiming that Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III has surpassed Apple's iPhone 4S to become the top-selling smartphone in the United States. Walkley's data shows the iPhone 4S continuing to lead at AT&T during August but falling to second at Sprint behind the Galaxy S III and third at Verizon behind the Galaxy S III and the Motorola RAXR MAXX. The Galaxy S III is also on top at T-Mobile, which does not officially offer the iPhone.

The shift is due to a combination of factors, partly strong performance by Samsung with its new flagship smartphone launched in June and partly weakness on the part of the iPhone as consumers begin to hold off in anticipation of the iPhone 5 set for later this month following an introduction next week.

Rovio has sold millions and millions of copies of Angry Birds games -- Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Space -- but the company's next effort flips that franchise on its head.

The next game, Bad Piggies, changes the antagonists into heroes by stranding the pigs on a desert island and having the player help them build vehicles and contraptions to get them to their eggs. The birds don't appear in the game, and the pigs are much kinder and more lovable than those in Angry Birds. Rovio sees the game as the first in a brand new franchise.

Fast Company has an exclusive look at the new game:

I'm in Espoo to get an exclusive first look at Bad Piggies, which will cost $.99 on mobile and is slated to hit iOS, Android, PC, and Mac on September 27, with Windows phones and others to follow soon. (Pricing for the desktop versions is still being confirmed.) The game is set in the same universe as its counterpart, but it indeed feels like an effort by Rovio to parlay the pigs, which have a loyal following of their own, into a completely new brand for the company.

Bad Piggies will be out for iPhone, iPad and the Mac on September 27th.

iOS gaming review publication (and sister site) TouchArcade.com has launched a Universal update to their iOS app. The new update offers an easy way to browse game reviews, news and "hot" new games.

The hot new games list allows you to discover new games more quickly than any other system. Penny Arcade profiled the app for being responsible for quickly discovering 10000000:

TouchArcade has its own iOS app that tracks the amount a game is discussed on the site, using a variety of metrics.
....
Hodapp noticed people talking about 10000000 on Thursday, and it didn’t look like a scam. He bought the game, and was immediately hooked. The speed of all this is remarkable: It only took a few hours for the community to begin talking about the game, which alerted Hodapp to its existence, and he gave it a shot and played through the day. His review went live that evening, less than 12 hours after the game had been released, and before anyone else in the industry was aware of it.

The app takes advantage of the extra real estate of the iPad screen and offers gameplay videos for almost all the games listed. A "Watch List" allows you to follow games for sales, updates and reviews. The TouchArcade app is available as a free download. [ Download ]

As part of Apple's plans to expand its retail store presence in Germany, the company has been working on a store at a mall in Sindelfingen, just outside of Stuttgart. Last month, iFun.de reported [Google translation] reported that Apple was targeting Saturday, September 22 for the store's grand opening.

We've now heard from a source claiming that Apple has brought forward the opening date for the store to Thursday, September 20, potentially signaling that the next-generation iPhone will indeed launch the following day as has been rumored. Moving the grand opening forward by just a few days would enable Apple to have another retail store open to support the launch without requiring a significant change to store construction and preparation plans.

A similar change earlier this year signaled Apple's plans for the third-generation iPad launch, when the grand opening of the Highland Village retail store in Houston was brought forward by a day, suggesting that it would coincide with the March 16 iPad launch as did turn out to be the case. Apple's official announcement of the 8:00 AM grand opening for the store on that date also revealed the company's plans for the timing of the iPad launch.

Germany is typically included in Apple's first-round launches, although on some occasions such as with the iPad 2 the company has launched first in the United States before rolling out to other countries in the following weeks. iMore reported last month that Apple is planning for pre-orders to begin on September 12 ahead of the September 21 launch in the U.S. and perhaps other countries, with a second wave of international launches coming in the first week of October. If today's speculation bears out it would mean that Apple be including several other high-profile countries besides the U.S. in its first round of launches, with the second wave moving to quickly broaden distribution to other countries around the world.

iOS gaming site (and sister site) TouchArcade has posted a roundup of their Best iOS Games for August 2012.

The list of games consists of the highest rated iOS games from just the month of August. Two of the top rated games are actually ports of highly rated games for other platforms. Both are relatively deep games for the more hardcore audience. The rest of the list consists of a broad range of titles, including platformers, puzzle games, point-and-click adventures and a first person shooter.

5 Stars

Bastion, $4.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - The universally loved XBLA/PC action RPG Bastion shocked us with a surprise iPad release. This game is absolutely amazing for multiple reasons, but my favorite has to be the near-constant narration that sets an incredible mood for the game that is nearly unrivaled on the App Store.

The World Ends with You: Solo Remix, $17.99 / HD
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - A fantastic single-screen port of the Nintendo DS game The World Ends With You. You play as the amnesiac Neku, a boy with a hatred for the masses and an unusual predicament. Unlike others, who come and go as they please, you're trapped in Shibuya, a pawn in the Reaper's Game. It's a game you're going to have to play. Failure to do so will result in erasure. This isn't the quick 99¢ iOS game you're used to, this is a serious full-length game with incredible depth.

Mikey Shorts, $0.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - BeaverTap Games knocked it out of the park with their first game ever, Mikey Shorts. Great virtual controls combine with a game that feels "just right" for obsessive speed runs and time sharing. Created by two hardcore gamers, Mikey Shorts ticks every checkbox a good iOS platformer needs to have and shouldn't be missed.

4.5 Stars

Walking Dead: The Game, $4.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - Telltale's latest point and click adventure game may be its strongest yet. Set in the fantastic Walking Dead universe and filled with tons of choices that can have a drastic impact on the game, it's something everyone needs to try. Also, check out our review, we're updating it as new episodes launch, and the second episode just hit today.

Supermagical, $0.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - The latest game from the Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team is every bit as radical as their studio name. It's a neat spin on the Bust-a-Move formula with super magical (as the name might hint) spells you can execute as well as a whole host of light RPG elements.

One Tap Hero™, $0.99
[Review] - [Forum Thread] - A clever platformer from Chillingo that centralizes around a single button control scheme, as the title hints. It has some heavy influences from the endless runner genre while feeling fresh enough to stand on its own. Overall, it's really cool how they packed such a "complete" feeling platformer into such a simple package.

Super Mole Escape, $0.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - Another awesome title from Adult Swim, this one puts you in charge of helping a mole (and more unlockable moles) escape prison. Its gameplay is fairly standard for a endless vertical (insert action here) game, but the integration of multiplayer races via Game Center really puts Super Mole Escape ahead of the pack.

Trigger Fist, Free
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - Although the whole modern military shooter thing has been done to death on consoles, few quality entries in that particular aisle of the App Store exist. Trigger Fist does a fantastic job of feeling like the "right fit" for the iPhone with an interesting camera angle and a control scheme that makes aiming and shooting in massive online fire fights substantially easier.

Organ Trail: Director's Cut, $2.99
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - An incredibly creative zombie-centric spin on the classic versions of Oregon Trail. We really enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the game, the strangely cinematic opening, and putting down members of our party that manage to catch a wicked case of the zombification.

Gasketball™, Free
[Review] - [TA Plays Video] - [Forum Thread] - The awesome combination of the incredibly popular see-if-you-can-get-three-stars physics game genre and... Basketball! The game comes with enough free content to choke a horse, much to the detriment of sales. We outlined what you get for your $2.99 unlock to make things a little more clear regarding just what Gasketball has to offer.

Bitless, $0.99
[Review] - [Forum Thread] - A delightfully blocky chiptune-laden retro-ish platformer that comes packed with a brutal difficulty level. Nissa nailed it in our review of the game: "This is a precision platformer perfectly tuned for its platform—it can't help that I'm not tuned for it. You'll either need to be very skilled, up for a good challenge or a bit of a masochist to enjoy this game, but hey, that covers a lot of people."

Meanwhile, the site has also compiled a list of dozens of sales on games during this Labor day weekend. EA alone has put 17 titles on sale for $0.99 each.