Almost A Billion iPhone Apps Downloaded

Apple has always been very careful to talk about Apps Downloaded rather than Sold. This is a pretty big distinction because Apps Downloaded seems to include updates to existing Apps. This changes everything dramatically.

While a success by any measure, the App store numbers would be a whole lot less impressive if downloads of updates for previously downloaded Apps were not counted.

I would suggest you consider updating your blog post to reflect Apps Downloaded vs Sold. The way it is now, seems factually incorrect.

@sfmitch : Good point.

comparing apples to other kind of apples: as I understand the iTunes store download stats include music tracks, music videos, TV shows and films _sold_ without counting _free_ podcasts, iTunes U tracks and others...

Actually, it's pretty obvious that Apple is NOT including updates as downloads, as it would make the statistics meaningless.

I've seen this myth repeated numerous times, and yet, never do people point out how it makes no sense once you consider it.

The whole downloaded vs sold distinction is solely to point out that not all apps have a price.

Believe me, if Apple was multi-counting updates as downloads, app developers and competitors would be screaming to high heaven.

Look at the numbers for Facebook, 6.7M, discrete downloads, not updates. It only takes 150 apps at that rate, and you get 1B. Of course, with 30,000+ apps, some apps are downloaded 6.7M times and some are downloaded once or twice. It's easy to see how 1B makes sense, give that there are over 30M devices, iPhones and iPod touches, out there, for about 30 apps per device.

BTW, if someone hasn't already pointed out, it was announced at the SDK 3.0 presentation that Apple had sold 17M iPhones and 13M iPod touches as of Dec. 31, 2008. Since the, I presume they've sold a few million more.

The bottom line is that Android & RIM are being left in the dust no matter which way you look at it. As of matter of fact, it will take them years to reach what Apple has done in less than a year.

What's really funny is that Microsoft, RIM, Nokia, etc. had probably been looking at iTMS for years as some on-line store that just supported music for iPods. I guess they never saw the App Store coming. Apple probably had this planned years in advance and just dropped an A-bomb on those companies. I'll bet there's some serious face-palming going on, now.

iTunes Media Store is already such a fixture in people's minds that it's hard to imagine them going anywhere else. I took a quick look at Ovi and BlackBerry App sites and they are just pathetic compared to iTMS.

How can Blackberry, Microsoft, Android, Symbian, etc. compete with Apple when Apple has the only handheld platform for which development classes for the iPhone are taught at Stanford University?

Apple has everyone's mind.

Everything else is compared to Apple and its iPhone/iPod platform.

Everything else is pathetic. There is no comparison.

How can Blackberry, Microsoft, Android, Symbian, etc. compete with Apple when Apple has the only handheld platform for which development classes for the iPhone are taught at Stanford University?

Apple has everyone's mind.

Everything else is compared to Apple and its iPhone/iPod platform.

Everything else is pathetic. There is no comparison.

"Almost" WHO CARES!

"Apple has everyone's mind.", because Apple has it's HACK MEDIA like Business Week and Media whores like Walt Goatberg and Leo Lafart that are PAID OFF by Apple PR with tons of FreeBees and probably payroll checks too.

"Almost" WHO CARES!

"Apple has everyone's mind.", because Apple has it's HACK MEDIA like Business Week and Media whores like Walt Goatberg and Leo Lafart that are PAID OFF by Apple PR with tons of FreeBees and probably payroll checks too.

Apple junk is made in the same Chinese Sweatshops as everyone elses that outsourses EVERYTHING they stick their name on (Apple MAKES NOTHING! just turn over and read the back!)

In other news 900,000,000 iPhone apps were deleted after 1 use and the most often comment heard was "Well that was neat, lets try another one and see if theres anything useful on here".

If businesses are successful based on downloads of free/useless apps then the piratebay.org has got to be the store of the future.

BTW the top 6 apps on AppStore are already on Blackberry and RIM only needs to market these facts to consumers who above all like choice.

LOL, Frank, if those consumers "like choice", then they can get 30,000 choices only on one platform. You are putting the choice at the wrong point in the value equation.

The choice isn't what device you want. The choice is how to customize the device with the apps you want.

A couple of issues:

• I doubt Apple counts updated applications as new downloads. After all, the server is aware the user already has the application. If one is going to criticize the number, it should be the proportion of free to paid applications that is questioned. One billion paid applications will be another big milestone.

• Linking downloads to the device originally used for the download in regard to music, television shows, podcasts and movies is kind of useless. Most music on any iPod or iPhone will come from a computer download or ripped CD. At least three quarters of my iTunes library predates both my iPhone 3G and my MacBook Air. In regard to television shows and movies, they may have been downloaded to either of my computers, an earlier computer, or Apple TV. (BTW, Apple does not release data on downloads to that device at all.) So, I think the iTunes Store/App Store stats are what really matter.

umm, check your facts, there's not even 214 million iPods in existence - let alone sold in the last quarter.

@Mister Cow : My facts are solid and backed by Apple's own publicly reported data. 214 million = 197 million iPods sold 2001-2008 + about 17 million iPhones. I didn't say that many in the last quarter, I was referring to sales in total. And? I'd be surprised if the aggregate number of iPods by themselves doesn't break the 214 million mark when Apple next reports earnings.