App Store crosses 10bn downloads mark

Apple has cemented its position as a global leader in mobile entertainment, with its trend-setting App Store having crossed the ten billion downloads mark.

Phil Schiller, the firm’s marketing chief, said 7 billion of those apps had been downloaded in the last twelve months alone.

The App Store launched July 2008 and accumilated over one billion downloads in twelve months, and five billion another twelve months later.

A recent study found that Apple iOS devices have each installed an average of 60 externally developed Apps.

Last week Apple reported quarterly profits of 6bn in the three months ending December 25th – a year-on-year rise of 77 per cent.

The record profit was backed by record revenue of $26.74bn – up from $15.68bn made in the same period the year prior.

Apple sold almost 50m products during the quarter. This comprised of 4.13m Macs, 16.24m iPhones, 19.45m iPods, and 7.33m iPads.

Meanwhile, another study, published by consumer banking firm Citibank, concluded that the App Store market will reach $2bn over the next twelve months.

Apple takes a 30 per cent cut of all gross app revenues, including microtransactions, meaning that – if Citibank’s estimates are accurate – the App Store dev community will share $1.4 billion in sales this year alone.