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App Downloads Hit 3 Billion.

January 9th, 2010 | Author: jared premo

Apple reports that iphone and ipod touch users have downloaded over 3 billions apps since the app store launched 18 months ago. 3 billions is well over the bench mark apple CEO steve jobs ever imagined. Apple doesn’t provide a breakdown of paid vs. free apps or any category breakdowns. Apple has credited a lot of its success for the apps on the popularity of consumers submitting apps to apple. After the apps are submitted to apple they are then but through a screening process and then put in the app store, where apple shares profits with the developers of the apps.

Analyst Charles Golvin, meanwhile, says that smartphone penetration in the U.S. reached 17% in 2009, up from 11%. That’s on par with the 2008 pace, he says. Golvin finds this impressive since technologies that are supporting these types of downloads are still in there initial phases of adoption. Usually this type of growth is stunted as the base expands. Golvin: “Yes, despite Apple getting all the attention, even in a market segment that grew by more than half, RIM maintained its two-to-one advantage over the iPhone. Certainly broad availability across all operators and a range of form factors and prices helps, but also some people just want a keyboard, full stop,” he says.

In the face of new competitors like Google’s Nexus One, Apple’s iPhone still has the advantage with more than 100,000 applications and 3 billion downloads from its App Store. It has been said that apple should be able to benefit from the partial buffer of its app store. Apps help to define the user experience, as customers now expect to use their smartphones for voice, e-mail, games, Internet, music and more. As the market leader in terms of apps, Apple has a distinct advantage in offering the software users have come to expect on their phone.

“Apple’s commanding lead in the mobile software space has led to a blistering pace of downloads from its App Store. Tuesday, Apple announced that its App Store downloads topped 3 billion. It was just 99 days before that when Apple announced the 2 billion threshold had been crossed. Over that span, applications were downloaded at a rate of more than 10.1 million per day”. (Apple insider)