Apple App Store: 1 Year, 1.5 Billion Downloads

Jul 14 2009, 8:45am CDT | by Robert Evans

We got big news from Apple today as they announced the exact details of their highly successful App Store's first year. In just a year, the infant app store has had a staggering 1.5 billion applications downloaded, which puts Apple far ahead of any competing app store out there. Apple also announced that the store now holds over 65,000 apps, and that there are more then 100,000 developers signed up for the iPhone Developer Program.

I think the app store is going to go down in history alongside the iPod as one of Apple's biggest innovations. Neither invention was totally original, but Cupertino was able to take existing ideas, improve upon them, and market them well enough to create a global frenzy for their products. Even someone rabidly anti-Apple would have trouble being anything but impressed with the success of the App Store.

So why was the Apple App Store so successful, while the Palm, Android, and RIM app markets have lagged so far behind?

I think the reason is simple. Unlike their competitors, Apple made their App Store a major priority. They courted developers, put up strict quality control processes, and made sure to advertise and market their apps like they would any other product. The added attention Apple gave their App Store is the reason for its success. They didn't treat it like a gimmick or an afterthought, and that's why they're celebrating 1.5 billion downloads now, instead of looking at ways to stop hemorrhaging customers (*cough* RIM).

Updates

Market Snapshot: Investors keeping tabs on Greece, jobs picture

Source: MarketWatch

0 Comments Tweet Share Digg Yahoo! Buzz MySpace del.icio.us Reddit LinkedIn Fark StumbleUpon Newsvine new Portfolio Relevance LEARN MORE Want to see how this story relates to your portfolio? Just add items to crea ...
Full article at: MarketWatch More like this 3 hours ago

Telecoms prepare for mobile tsunami

Source: Regina Leader-Post

Talk, text, email, entertainment, and next, the deluge. Telecoms around the world are scrambling to build and maintain wireless networks that can satisfy the expectations of government business and the public. If you were to create a graph show ...
Full article at: Regina Leader-Post More like this 3 hours ago

IT BECAME THE JEWEL OF THE CITY

Source: Iowa City Press Citizen

Roosevelt Elementary School has gone through tremendous changes since Lois Peterson began teaching first and second grade there in 1947. She remembers the original four-room structure that stood before three additions were ...
Full article at: Iowa City Press Citizen More like this 3 hours ago

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

Don't miss ...

Apple

iPad mini Rumors continue

Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.