iOS customers have now downloaded over 40 billion apps since the App Store’s inception in 2008, according to a press release from Apple early Monday. Half of those downloads – nearly 20 billion – were downloaded in 2012 alone, indicating a strong year for the Cupertino company and its iDevice product line.
Even more good news for Apple came at the end of the year, with a record-breaking 2 billion iOS apps downloaded in December. Apple now claims over 500 million active accounts on the App Store and over 775,000 unique apps for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch platforms.
“It has been an incredible year for the iOS developer community,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s new senior vice president of Internet Software and Services who assumed the role upon the departure of Scott Forstall in October. “Developers have made over seven billion dollars on the App Store, and we continue to invest in providing them with the best ecosystem so they can create the most innovative apps in the world.”
Apple used the press release to tout the success of several developers, including Imangi Studios, run by husband and wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova. Apple reports that their hit game Temple Run has now been downloaded over 75 million times.
“The success of our game Temple Run in 2012 was nothing short of astonishing,” Mr. Shepherd was quoted as saying in the press release. “We were simply looking to create a game that was fun and easy to play, but once it hit the App Store, the game took off. This past year, we saw more than 75 million downloads of Temple Run on iOS.”
Large companies such as Autodesk also report positive results from the App Store. “Our success on iOS has been incredible,” said Samir Hanna, vice president of Consumer Products for Autodesk. “We set off with the modest goal of bringing SketchBook to iPhone users as a way of introducing them to Autodesk. Fast forward three years, we now offer 20 apps to iOS users that have achieved more than 50 million downloads, and we continue to roll out new creativity and design tools that appeal to both professionals and consumers.”
Today’s news comes about two weeks before Apple’s first fiscal quarter results. Apple will announce its results during an investor call on Wednesday, January 23 at 5:00 PM EST. The Mac Observer will provide live coverage of the call and analysis of the results.
Teaser graphic made with help from Shutterstock.