2015 has started on a promising note for Apple as customers spent a record $500 million on the App Store in the first week of January itself!
On Thursday, Jan. 8, Apple revealed that customers worldwide spent over half a billion on apps and in-app purchases with New Year's Day being the busiest ever in App Store's 7-year sales history.
Moreover, 2014 was also a phenomenal "record-breaking" year for the App Store as the revenue doubled (increasing by 50 percent). While Apple did not reveal the figure, it is estimated to be around $15 billion. App sales accounted for over $10 billion in revenue for developers.
App developers have generated $25 billion cumulatively from app and game sales since the store's launch in 2008. Apple's latest iOS 8 fueled the growth as it gave developers a foundation for creating novel features and apps. These in turn appealed to iDevice users worldwide.
"This year is off to a tremendous start after a record-breaking year for the App Store and our developer community," said Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services. "We're so proud of the creativity and innovation developers bring to the apps they create for iOS users and that the developer community has now earned over $25 billion."
Apple also launched Swift, a new programming language, with the iOS 8. This programming language aids developers in creating fantastic apps. Apple also introduced HealthKit, which lets fitness and health developers share relevant data via the Health app. On the other hand, HomeKit lets developers make apps that can work in tandem with home-automation devices.
In 2014, the App Store also introduced the app preview feature, which gave users the option of watching the preview of an app before they purchase or download the same. Developers also benefited from the App Bundles, which gave the option of buying nearly 10 apps at one go at a discounted price, thereby saving money.
Apple also released its touchless mobile payment service - Apple Pay - which has become popular with merchants and customers alike in a short span of time. iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus users simply need to tap Apple Pay to use the digital wallet to buy things from retailers who support the feature. Apple Pay can also be used on the latest iPad Air to buy content on the App Store via the service.
Currently, the App Store has over 1.4 million apps and 725,000 of these have been specifically made for the iPad.
