Skip to main content

iTunes App Store: More Than 2 Billion Served

iPhone-appApple announced today that iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded more than 2 billion apps from its iTunes App Store since it was launched a little over a year ago. All told, Apple’s App Store sports more than 85,000 applications for its portable devices—many of which, admittedly, are utter tripe—but perhaps more importantly the company boasts more than 125,000 developers in its iPhone Developer Program, meaning the concept has serious momentum and more and better apps are on the way.

“The rate of App Store downloads continues to accelerate with users downloading a staggering two billion apps in just over a year, including more than half a billion apps this quarter alone,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a statement. “The App Store has reinvented what you can do with a mobile handheld device, and our users are clearly loving it.”

As the iPhone continues to spread throughout the consumer marketplace, the pace of downloads from the iTunes App Store is accelerating: it took Apple about 10 months for iPhone and iPod touch users to download a billion apps, but three months later (last July) the App Store hit 1.5 billion downloads.

Although Apple kicks back 70 percent of the revenue from an application’s sale to the developer, the company did not offer any information on how many of the downloaded apps were paid downloads rather than free releases.

Apple says it has sold more than 50 million iPhones and iPod touch devices in almost 80 countries since the iPhone’s introduction.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
iPhone 16: news, rumored price, release date, and more
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

We're a few months removed from the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, so you know what that means: iPhone 16 rumors are in full force. Talk is heating up about everything from design leaks and rumored specs to camera changes and more.

Read more
Why you should buy the iPhone 15 Pro instead of the iPhone 15 Pro Max
Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro with Chopper and BD-1 droids around it.

Apple releases multiple iPhones every year, offering folks choice in terms of size and features. In 2024, the iPhone 15 lineup includes four distinct models.

The regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are great for those who don’t need a telephoto lens and don’t care about the Action button or the 1TB of storage. But anyone who wants a more “pro” experience has the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Read more
iPhone SE 4: news, rumored price, release date, and more
The Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Apple iPhone SE (2020) together.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means  that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 this year, but it’s not so cut-and-dried with this particular model.

Read more