Apple begins countdown to 10 billion App Store downloads
As the App Store for iOS approaches its 10 billionth download, Apple has launched a countdown clock, and a new promotion that will give the person who downloads the 10 billionth application a $10,000 gift card.
Apple began promoting the countdown on the front page of its website on Friday. "The App Store is about to hit 10 billion downloads," it reads. "The countdown has started. And someone's going to win."
Apple has less than 250 million downloads to go before it reaches the 10 billion milestone. The counter shows new applications being downloaded from the App Store at a rate of about a thousand for every five seconds.
"As of today, nearly 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store worldwide," the site reads. "Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks."
The person who downloads the 10 billionth application will win an iTunes gift card valued at $10,000 U.S. "Just visit the App Store, and download what could be your best app yet."
The App Store is a digital download destination that has been crucial to the success of Apple's iPhone. Last year year, it extended to the iPad, and this month a spin-off of it, dubbed the Mac App Store, became available for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
The popularity of the App Store has grown at an exponential rate. Just a year ago, Apple revealed that total App Store downloads had topped 3 billion. That means nearly 7 billion applications were downloaded in the last year alone.
For comparison, in its first year of availability, there were more than 1.5 billion downloads from the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple has even tried to trademark the term "App Store," through a filing made just after the service opened in July 2008. This week, Apple's rival to the north, Microsoft, filed an objection to Apple's request, calling the term too generic to be fairly registered.
Apple began promoting the countdown on the front page of its website on Friday. "The App Store is about to hit 10 billion downloads," it reads. "The countdown has started. And someone's going to win."
Apple has less than 250 million downloads to go before it reaches the 10 billion milestone. The counter shows new applications being downloaded from the App Store at a rate of about a thousand for every five seconds.
"As of today, nearly 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store worldwide," the site reads. "Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks."
The person who downloads the 10 billionth application will win an iTunes gift card valued at $10,000 U.S. "Just visit the App Store, and download what could be your best app yet."
The App Store is a digital download destination that has been crucial to the success of Apple's iPhone. Last year year, it extended to the iPad, and this month a spin-off of it, dubbed the Mac App Store, became available for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
The popularity of the App Store has grown at an exponential rate. Just a year ago, Apple revealed that total App Store downloads had topped 3 billion. That means nearly 7 billion applications were downloaded in the last year alone.
For comparison, in its first year of availability, there were more than 1.5 billion downloads from the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple has even tried to trademark the term "App Store," through a filing made just after the service opened in July 2008. This week, Apple's rival to the north, Microsoft, filed an objection to Apple's request, calling the term too generic to be fairly registered.
Comments
What on earth can someone do with a $10,000 iTunes card?
If I win, I will sent an appeal letter to Steve Jobs!!!
I think this offer would be more attractive if you could spend the money in the Apple Store and keep it for hardware. Sure you could buy music and old TV shows but $10,000 worth from what iTunes offers? Even if it was $5000 iTunes, $5000 Apple Store or something like that.
With iTunes gift cards, Apple pays the content owners only a portion of the $10K, where as if it were hardware, Apple would be financing the entire gift.
If I won it, I would prefer it in smaller increment gift cards which I would donate to the local school districts to either use or raffle off as fund raisers.
With iTunes gift cards, Apple pays the content owners only a portion of the $10K, where as if it were hardware, Apple would be financing the entire gift.
If I won it, I would prefer it in smaller increment gift cards which I would donate to the local school districts to either use or raffle off as fund raisers.
I would assume that it would be automatically added to your iTunes Store account. Perhaps even distributed not a a dollar value, but as x-number of free movies and TV show purchases and rentals, music videos and music purchases.
If you?ve ever had a problem with an iTS purchase customer service may have given you a few free items for your trouble. That?s how they show up and are used first. (Unable to find a screenshot as an example
I would assume that it would be automatically added to your iTunes Store account. Perhaps even distributed not a a dollar value, but as x-number of free movies and TV show purchases and rentals, music videos and music purchases.
If you?ve ever had a problem with an iTS purchase customer service may have given you a few free items for your trouble. That?s how they show up and are used first. (Unable to find a screenshot as an example
The article here says iTunes Gift Card.
Does it work with the mac App store?
An iTunes Gift Card lets you shop for anything at the iTunes Store ? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Shop for music, movies, TV shows, apps, audiobooks, and more. iTunes Gift Cards come in various amounts, and you can choose from multiple colors and themes.
I googled around and it appears that the Mac App Store does use your same iTunes account so I would suppose that you could use the gift card for Mac Apps but I'm not 100% sure since I haven't purchased any Mac apps yet..
I googled around and it appears that the Mac App Store does use your same iTunes account so I would suppose that you could use the gift card for Mac Apps but I'm not 100% sure since I haven't purchased any Mac apps yet..
I've bought a few small apps from the new Mac App Store and it does pull from your iTunes account if you have a gift card redeemed in it. Pretty sweet, because I got a bunch of iTunes Gift Cards for Christmas and I've got a lot of new music lately, so now I have something else to spend it on!
BTW, is it just me, or does this contest seem pointless to try and enter until the day of the prize-winning download? At one point they had their contests pick a random entry from all of the ones received from now until the target is reached. Now it seems to just be based on the lucky ten billionth app download. So why is there any incentive for me to buy more apps until that day?
I've bought a few small apps from the new Mac App Store and it does pull from your iTunes account if you have a gift card redeemed in it. Pretty sweet, because I got a bunch of iTunes Gift Cards for Christmas and I've got a lot of new music lately, so now I have something else to spend it on!
BTW, is it just me, or does this contest seem pointless to try and enter until the day of the prize-winning download? At one point they had their contests pick a random entry from all of the ones received from now until the target is reached. Now it seems to just be based on the lucky ten billionth app download. So why is there any incentive for me to buy more apps until that day?
I'd think it isn't a draw, but an actual accurate fact that a single account will log the 1billionth download and Apple will contact that person. I could be wrong but why wouldn't they do that? That will happen sooner now there is a competition no doubt.
TW, is it just me, or does this contest seem pointless to try and enter until the day of the prize-winning download? At one point they had their contests pick a random entry from all of the ones received from now until the target is reached. Now it seems to just be based on the lucky ten billionth app download. So why is there any incentive for me to buy more apps until that day?
People are buying stuff non-stop anyway and on the day that the goal is reached, you would still be one in a million to win. Actually your odds are better than a regular lottery ticket except you have to stay up all night trying to gauge the pace of purchases to time yours just right.
I think this offer would be more attractive if you could spend the money in the Apple Store and keep it for hardware. Sure you could buy music and old TV shows but $10,000 worth from what iTunes offers? Even if it was $5000 iTunes, $5000 Apple Store or something like that.
Well, you just won't have to pay for your movies, music or software again, ever... Not bad at all.
Well, you just won't have to pay for your movies, music or software again, ever... Not bad at all.
At first, I thought $10,000 was a typo. It seems like a ridiculously large amount of money to spend at the iTunes store.
I guess Apple wants to reach that 10 billionth download extremely fast. It certainly makes me want to buy an app. Too bad my Tiger OS disqualifies me.
The thought of a lifetime's supply of music, movies and software is quite enticing.
Do Apple include updated Apps as downloads, I think they do.
No. Steve Jobs has said in the past, they don't include updates or upgrades in their numbers, just new downloads.