On Tuesday, Apple – the operator of the world’s most lucrative mobile application storefront – directed a communication at its entire developer community. The message? Apple has no patience or tolerance for the manipulation of app rankings in the App Store.

“When you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership,” the warning from Apple reads.

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According to the latest industry speculation, Apple’s rumored HDTV product launch is poised to dramatically impact the HDTV market in the U.S.

Ben A. Reitzes of Barclays Capital says that if Apple releases a device costing no more than $1,500, Apple could immediately claim roughly 5% of he HDTV market.

In doing so, Apple would generate first year product revenue of approximately $17 billion.

“Apple’s eventual television could be so much more than a TV — including gaming, video, communication, content delivery, apps, computing and all the capabilities of the current Apple TV — it is not really fair to compare it to products already available on the market,” Reitzes said Tuesday.

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Just as mobile devices never left our grip during last Sunday’s Super Bowl, they are trusty devices to keep near on many a major night in Hollywood and in the music industry – with the Grammys being chief among those occasions.

Luckily for music lovers, the Grammy Live Mobile App is now available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users.

If this announcement sounds familiar, there’s a good chance that it is. For the third year in a row, music fans worldwide will have unprecedented access to all the VIP and backstage events leading up to and throughout the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, airing Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8p.m. on CBS.

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All is not dismal on the U.S. employment front. In addition to upward trending employment statistics, TechNet, the bipartisan policy and political network that promotes the growth of the innovation economy, published a new study Tuesday showing that mobile app development is creating jobs at a dramatic pace.

According to the report, there are now roughly 466,000 jobs in the so-called “App Economy” in the United States. That’s a dramatic improvement over 2007, when that number was… well, zero.

TechNet also found that these App Economy jobs are spread throughout the nation. The top metro area for App Economy jobs is New York City and its surrounding suburban counties, although together San Francisco and San Jose together substantially exceed New York.

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The following is a guest post by Glen Suh, Director of Marketing for TapIt mobile advertising.

In today’s mobile world, smartphone users expect a lot out of their mobile phones.  Users desire fast processors, high data speeds, and a well laid out operating system. Furthermore, users also expect higher quality pictures and video playback as smartphone technology advances. HTML5 banners provide marketers with a richer canvas on which they can create a more beautiful and engaging advertisement.

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According to the published findings this week by prominent research firm IDC, the smartphone market hit all-time quarterly highs due to seasonal strength and a wider variety of offerings.

After a comprehensive review of fourth quarter 2011 earnings, IDC found that it is Apple – not Samsung – that claimed the top spot as the globe’s biggest smartphone maker.

Apple’s 37 million iPhone sales during the last quarter of 2011 was enough to secure top honors for the venerable Cupertino, California-based tech giant.

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For months, we’ve known that Facebook had intentions to go public. Last week, those intentions were confirmed. On Tuesday, the rumor mill suggested that Facebook is about to go public in another aspect – with its long-awaited mobile ad platform.

According to published reports in the Financial Times, Facebook could launch its mobile advertising platform in early March.

Why the rush? Facebook clearly wants to illustrate to the investment community that it has established – or is in the process of establishing – viable and highly lucrative income streams.

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