Apple announces App Store sales topped $10 billion in 2013

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
In the midst of hype for new gadgets from the Consumer Electronics Show, Apple on Tuesday issued a press release to announce that sales from the App Store topped $10 billion in 2013, with $1 billion spent by customers in December alone.

App Store


App Store customers downloaded almost three billion apps in the month of December, Apple revealed, which made it the most successful month in App Store history. To date, developers have earned $15 billion from the App Store.

"We'd like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "The lineup of apps for the holiday season was astonishing and we look forward to seeing what developers create in 2014."

Apple highlighted a number of applications that take advantage of changes in the new iOS 7 mobile operating system, singling out developers Evernote, Yahoo, AirBnB, OpenTable, Tumblr, Pinterest and American Airlines for "bringing content to the forefront while increasing the overall efficiency and performance of their apps."

In addition, another host of specific applications and developers were also featured by Apple in Tuesday's announcement: Successful apps from international developers Developers to watch in 2014
  • Duolingo (United States)
  • Simogo (Sweden)
  • Frogmind (U.K.)
  • Plain Vanilla Corp (Iceland)
  • Atypical Games (Romania)
  • Lemonista (China)
  • BASE (Japan)
  • Savage Interactive (Australia)

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    Ellen's Heads Up game is fun!

    I love the timing of this announcement. I think Apple has issued press releases during CES in previous years.

    Apple doesn't need to attend CES... they're already the talk of the town :)
  • Reply 2 of 20
    dnd0psdnd0ps Posts: 253member
    But android!
  • Reply 3 of 20
    Waiting for someone to take the total paid out and divide that by the number of Apps to conclude developers aren't making any money from iOS.
  • Reply 4 of 20
    Apple doesn't need to attend CES... they're already the talk of the town :)

    Bingo. Even though they're not attending people are still comparing everything to what Apple currently has or what Apple "might" have.
  • Reply 5 of 20
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    sog35 wrote: »
    I expect this number to TRIPLE once iTV takes off

    $30B in annual content sales is not out of the question.  A possibility ANALylist are simply ignoring.
    Really? I can't imagine buying many apps for my TV. My phone is a personal device that I carry with me all the time and like to try new things with. With television I want some key channels and shows and that's it. Obviously without knowing what Apples solution (if they have one) looks like I can't predict my or others behaviour with any certainty, but I'm very sceptical of that ($20bn) kind of volume.
  • Reply 6 of 20
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Waiting for someone to take the total paid out and divide that by the number of Apps to conclude developers aren't making any money from iOS.

    Last I read stated that over 60% of developers don't make enough to break even. Just like any economy the rich get richer, those that have the means to make a quality app and then promote it end up with the most successful apps. A app like Instagram is the exception not the norm, and apps like that almost always end up be bought by a big company.
  • Reply 7 of 20
    darklitedarklite Posts: 229member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post



    Waiting for someone to take the total paid out and divide that by the number of Apps to conclude developers aren't making any money from iOS.

    It's not going to happen, but I'd love to see a graph showing how many apps make a particular amount of money, on iOS and Android. It'd be interesting to see whether there are a small number of "blockbuster" apps that make the majority of the profit, or whether there's a significant contribution from smaller-but-still-successful apps. Not to mention seeing how the distribution varies on different platforms.

  • Reply 8 of 20
    totaltotal Posts: 83member

    im missing in arcticle comparision with 2012, how much was it? but because stock is down little bit it seems that 10 billion is not so impressive to wall street.

  • Reply 9 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post





    Last I read stated that over 60% of developers don't make enough to break even. Just like any economy the rich get richer, those that have the means to make a quality app and then promote it end up with the most successful apps. A app like Instagram is the exception not the norm, and apps like that almost always end up be bought by a big company.

     

    Genuinely interested if you remember the source.  I'd like to read about that.  Also, what does break even mean in this context?  Cost of raw materials to make the app/comparable salary if staying at day job/something else??

  • Reply 10 of 20
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    Last I read stated that over 60% of developers don't make enough to break even. Just like any economy the rich get richer, those that have the means to make a quality app and then promote it end up with the most successful apps. A app like Instagram is the exception not the norm, and apps like that almost always end up be bought by a big company.

    Source? I don't know how anyone could make that statement since there's no data available to prove it.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    I expect this number to TRIPLE once iTV takes off

     

    $30B in annual content sales is not out of the question.  A possibility ANALylist are simply ignoring.


    I agree Sog. It just feels like there is so much pressure on the cable/content/media companies to get out of the 90's.

     

    I'm not a gamer (I have no games on my iMac or iPhone) but, If Apple only added games with a gaming solution for ATV, I'm sure they would sell a lot.

     

    I could see some people doing email, Facebook, surfing on their TV.

     

    Not my cup of tea, but my Dad loved his WebTV back in the day.

     

    MS took it over and I guess killed it. I found it slow and clumsy, but it suited him fine.

     

  • Reply 12 of 20
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    Last I read stated that over 60% of developers don't make enough to break even.
    Seems like a dodgy stat, given how many apps are given away free by talented hobbyists, and how many others are gateways to online services that don't monetise the app itself.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post





    Last I read stated that over 60% of developers don't make enough to break even. Just like any economy the rich get richer, those that have the means to make a quality app and then promote it end up with the most successful apps. A app like Instagram is the exception not the norm, and apps like that almost always end up be bought by a big company.

    I wouldn't be surprised if it's lower than that, dasan.

     

    Pure conjecture, on my part...but it may follow the old tried and true 80-20 rule. E.g., <20% of the developers make >80% of the $'s.

     

    (I added the "less than" "greater than" signs!)

     

    Having said the above, there is no doubt Apple created an "industry" so to speak.

     

    Best.

  • Reply 14 of 20
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    And Apple stock is down this morning while both the Dow and Nasdaq are way up. :rolleyes:
  • Reply 15 of 20
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    200,000 iPad native apps were added in 2013! How many native Android apps for the tablet are there?
  • Reply 16 of 20
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    rogifan wrote: »
    And Apple stock is down this morning while both the Dow and Nasdaq are way up. :rolleyes:

    And it was up yesterday when the indices were down.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
  • Reply 17 of 20
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    The obvious targets are:

     

    Gaming for home

    Movies

    TV subscriptions

     

    The less obvious possibilities:

     

    Home security

    Home automation

    Home apps - family calander, to do chalk board, ect  (imagine having the iTV as a virtual to do chalk board where the whole family can write using a touch screen of the LARGE TV and have it updated on everyones phone/tablet through the cloud)

    Home Theater apps - universal remotes, audio/video calabration

    Online banking, bill pay

    Home server

     

    And personally I think the iTV will be a combination of the AppleTV and the traditional PC.  So we will be seeing much more software sales for photo editing, video editing, ect.  So much better to do these things on a LARGE screen.


    Well done, Sog. I like the list.

     

    I've said it before, I just want the biggest, thinnest, "dumbest" flat screen TV connected to my ATV.

     

    I don't even want an LG or Sony logo on it. (I will never buy a Samsung TV! And will try to avoid getting a Korean made one, too!)

     

    I only want a pwr cable coming out of it and an HDMI cable going into it (from the ATV). And I only want to use the Apple remote...which is not perfect but a lot better than the remotes provided with the sets. Anything more than this that Apple can do is just, gravy! :)

     

    I don't want to have to use the TV or Cable company's clunky OS. 

     

    Best.

  • Reply 18 of 20

    This seems amazing.  By my calculations this means it is likely that Apple doubled their iPhone and iPad sales in 1st quarter 2014 from 1st quarter 2013.  

  • Reply 19 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    I can't stand wire-gate.  Cable box, TV, Apple TV, Audio Receiver, Bluray player.....  Adds up to a ton of cables and remotes.

     

    I've been able to hid all my components (Apple TV, Receiver, ect) in a shelf using an IR-repeater and a single universal controller.  But it would be much better if I could just buy an iTV and plug it into a wall and be done with it.


    Agreed, sog.

     

    I was thinking as an interim setup (Today):  ATV, current Apple remote and the "dumbest panel!"

     

    I would pay Apple an extra $1,000 just to not have the manufacturer's splash screen at start up, never mind a clunky interface! :)

     

    But, yep, eventually, an Apple iTV, and as you say, "...be done with it!"  Can't wait! :)

     

    Best. 

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