[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]
App Store customers worldwide set a new record in the first week of 2015, Apple
announced today. According to the company, customers spent nearly half a billion dollars on apps and in-app purchases in the first week of January, with New Year's Day marking the biggest day ever for App Store sales.
As noted by Apple, this opening salvo for 2015 follows in the footsteps of a successful 2014 that saw billings rise 50 percent to generate over $10 billion in app revenue for developers, pushing total developer earnings since the App Store's inception to over $25 billion. The steady climb of
user acceptance for iOS 8, along with the strong success of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and App Store specials like the
(Product) RED Holiday Campaign, undoubtedly contributed to the company's App Store success of the App Store over the past few months.
The company points to innovations like the new programming language
Swift, graphics technology Metal, beta-testing program TestFlight, and the introduction of
HealthKit and
HomeKit as major reasons behind the flourishing of App Store development in the past year. Outside of the U.S., the
addition of UnionPay as a payment option for App Store customers in China was a significant move by the company in establishing an overseas presence in the country.
Apple Pay's
growing popularity in the U.S. has also been a factor in the App Store's success, especially with its added integration in popular apps like those from Target, OpenTable, and Ticketmaster.
Apple isn't just celebrating a successful monetary year, but a job-creating one as well. The company has
created or supported 1,027,000 jobs in the U.S., 627,000 of which are directly related to the inception of the iOS ecosystem and the App Store. Apple directly employs 66,000 employees in the United States.
Beyond the App Store ecosystem and Apple's own employment, the company calculates it supports 334,000 jobs at other companies resulting from Apple's own spending and growth through the years. And with
Apple Campus 2 under construction, the company expects to continue employment growth, supporting 41,100 jobs in the area upon its completion.
Article Link:
Apple Celebrates Successful Year with Record-Breaking App Store Sales, Strong Job Creation