Apple's App Store Tops 40 Billion Downloads; Generates $7 Billion For Developers 177
An anonymous reader writes "With the eyes of the tech world fixed on CES this week, Apple this morning conveniently decided to issue a press release announcing that the iTunes App Store has now topped over 40 billion downloads. That's an incredible feat, to be sure, but even more incredible is that nearly half of those downloads occurred in 2012. In December alone, iOS users downloaded over 2 billion applications, setting a monthly record in the process."
Re:Unique downloads? (Score:5, Informative)
or all downloads.
They don't count updates or re-downloads in that figure.
Re:How many developers? (Score:5, Informative)
It's overwhelmingly games. And of these top 100 apps, developers like Rovio and EA are overrepresented. Meaning if your app isn't a game and your company isn't Rovio, you're probably not making much at all. Rovio and EA on the other hand are probably making well over $700,000.
Re:How many developers? (Score:5, Informative)
Many of whom have not released an app.
I'm a registered iOS developer, it's free.
Nice to be able to take a look around at what is possible.
Re:And Apple's cut... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Unique downloads? (Score:2, Informative)
Let's see what Apple has to say! [apple.com]
Why the fuck editors wouldn't link to the actual press release, rather than idiotic networkworld clickbait is beyond me. I guess "news" doesn't like primary sources, it's easier to just let networkworld flog their useless "reportage" instead.
Re:Citation? (Score:5, Informative)
Fishy? Not really. Your facts are just poorly aggregated.
For instance, you only accounted for iPhone sales, but Apple also sells the iPad, iPad mini, and iPod Touch, all of which are also iOS devices that can download and run these apps. Through March 2012 they had announced 365M iOS device sales [macobserver.com], and by the end of the next quarter (i.e. the quarter when iPhone sales were winding down before the iPhone 5 and iPad mini rumors were rampant, thus slowing sales) they still managed to sell 35M units, bringing them to over 400M iOS devices by the end of June [engadget.com]. So, already we can tell that you're off by 150M units at a minimum, and that still leaves the following six months of sales unaccounted for.
Going forward past June, Apple has since then released the iPhone 5, a new iPod Touch, the iPad mini, and the 4th gen iPad. Whether the mini is cannibalizing larger iPad sales or not will be revealed soon, since Apple is set to do their earnings announcement for the holiday quarter in about two weeks. Even if it is, however, its sales are estimated to be in the 8-10M range [bgr.com]. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5 represented over 50% of smartphone sales [bgr.com] as we got towards the end of the year, so it's safe to say that it's been selling well so far. Not to mention that iPad and iPod sales have traditionally picked up during the holiday season since they're not tied to contracts.
As such, 450-500M is a perfectly reasonable expectation for where they are today, given that it's six months since their last announced numbers and they've updated every single product line that's relevant right before the biggest sales time of the year.
And if we assume just 450M devices, then that would mean 40B/450M, which is around 89 apps on average, which is extremely reasonable, given that they're doubtless including all of those apps that people download, check out for five minutes, and then delete because they aren't what they're looking for. I did a quick sanity check, and I have 84 third-party apps currently installed on my smartphone, not to mention a few more on my tablet, and that doesn't include the dozens I've installed and deleted over the years. I wouldn't even classify myself as a heavy user; I actually think my usage is pretty close to typical for most users, since I don't use it as a geek tool or like a power user would.
Re:RMS (Score:5, Informative)
And that statement is downright deceitful considering you need to pay the $99 yearly license fee to get you application listed.
Wrong, it isn't deceitful at all, nowhere near 5 million people have listed applications, in fact there aren't even 20% of that number of applications in the app store today, yet you claim 5 million people have been paying $99 a year for the past 5 years, obviously a ridiculous and baseless claim that isn't in any way even close to being conceivably accurate.
You still need to pay for the Mac to develop on regardless of if you release anything.
Not if you already have one, and you certainly don't need one to become a registered developer. Moreover i doubt many people are buying a mac solely for the purpose of iOS development.
A free developer registration only gives you the right to look, not to touch (as in release an application).
Yes and the numbers speak for themselves, the vast majority have not released any application.