According to Apple, 1.5 billion applications for the iPhone were downloaded in the online store's first year.
But Apple CEO Steve Jobs (who is obviously still alive) used the occasion to level a potshot at Nokia, which is trying to garner interest in its Ovi online application store.
“The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality,” said Jobs (in a press release just issued by Apple). “With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up.”
Jobs is right. Nokia needs to wake up right now and push the Ovi store like they've never pushed anything before. The App Store is the next iTunes and Apple is cornering the market. Nokia, Palm and Rim (as well as Sony Ericsson, Samsung and LG) need to get the finger out immediately.
Does anyone know how much they have made off the sale of all those apps, do you think the G1 will reach anywhere near that many apps?
Posted by: Network Cabling Company | July 14, 2009 at 05:47 PM
That's a lot of apps.
Posted by: Chrystal K. | July 14, 2009 at 11:52 PM
We're gonna need a bigger... App store? Phone? Err.
The big thing I'm interested in seeing is if the app store developers are actually making any money - Forgive my cotton white socks I can't remember where, but I recently read about the paltry amounts they're getting and - on the face of it - it seems the app store is over subscribed with people who're not likely to make very much money.
Perhaps we'll see a rationalisation of the app store once everyone - consumers and developers alike - get their heads twisted back on right.
Posted by: Aaron | July 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Aaron, I think that there are only a select number of developers that are actually making any money as a result. With the vast amount of apps out there the only ones that are going to have success are the ones that develop something that catches on with the public. A lot do it for the love of developing products in my opinion and the financial benefits are only secondary. This doesn't apply to all obviosly though.
1.5 billion apps downloads and 650,000 is truly a lot, but what the quality like. From what I have heard there is a lot of useless, poorly developed apps that are clogging up the app store. Only and handfull of those are actually worth downloading and using. So it think Apple are spinning the positivity of this too much.
Posted by: Donagh Mc Sweeney | July 15, 2009 at 03:04 PM
It is my understanding that about 95% of those apps are crap.
That still leaves several hundred pretty cool apps though.
Posted by: Chris R | July 15, 2009 at 06:36 PM
If only 1% of those apps are any good, that will still leave a lot of god ones.
Remember the baby shaking app?
Posted by: Ronk | July 15, 2009 at 06:38 PM
just looked at the app store, and the 1# app of the top 10 chart is called "the moron test"... you really have to be a moron to pay for that
Posted by: dave | July 15, 2009 at 07:06 PM
Dave,
Maybe that's the idea? You activate the app, it asks you if you're in a public place, you say yes and your iPhone goes on speaker and calls you an idiot?
Posted by: Aaron | July 16, 2009 at 09:42 AM