"...and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."
Funny this comes on the same day Google announces (purportedly) the Nexus One.
I think by competition, what is meant is everyone - Google, Palm, RIM, etc.
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Apple Announces 3 Billion App Store Downloads
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I think by competition, what is meant is everyone - Google, Palm, RIM, etc.
With so many "free" apps now including an ad revenue stream, I'm not sure the distinction is so important. And I've downloaded paid apps that later became free. The sheer volume of downloaded apps is really what's important. Especially if you're an advertiser, those kind of numbers are hard to ignore. It makes perfect sense for Jobs to announce this after acquiring Quattro.
As far as the amount of dross on the App Store, walk into any store that sells PC games and look at the number of titles there that no one buys. If there's a demand for silly apps like iFart, so be it. In the end, it's the buyers who decide what's successful.
This. All the good apps rise to the top anyway, in each category, and it's dead-easy to pick them out on the App Store.
Android proponents would call that "choice."
As would Microsoft proponents when it comes to desktop software.
An important thing to keep in mind is that the App store is for both iPhone and iPod touch users. The latter is a rapidly growing segment that has no peer amongst the other phone only competitors. Big advantage for the Apple App Store.
And here's some retention data from Flurry. It's a few months old and without going into a long detailed explanation regarding their methods, it should only be taken as reasonably accurate. Their blog is a good source of this sort of data.
http://blog.flurry.com/bid/26376/Mobile-Apps-Models-Money-and-Loyalty
And here's some retention data from Flurry. It's a few months old and without going into a long detailed explanation regarding their methods, it should only be taken as reasonably accurate. Their blog is a good source of this sort of data.
http://blog.flurry.com/bid/26376/Mobile-Apps-Models-Money-and-Loyalty
Actually more and more developers these days release their apps first for Android and port them later to iPhoneOS. For example the whole augemented reality stuff first appeared on Android. The new free google navigation tool or "google goggles" are other examples.
It's probably because it's much easier to test on Android than it is on the iPhone. Plus you can develop for Android on any platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.) which is a huge advantage for many developers.
Wait, are you saying that Google released some of its own apps for its own mobile OS first because it's easier to test the software???
Moreover, I'd like to see a Legend in the graph (or wherever) that states how 3billion was counted. Considerations:
1)# of times each individual downloads...such as I download it, delete it, then download it 3 days later again (due to bad install, accident, or whatever). Or maybe my iPhone was destroyed and I bought a new phone. So this is a per-user counting process.
2)When I download version 1.x of an app...and I get an alert 2 weeks later that version 1.x.x was released...does that new update count as a download? For example, I've updated all of my 10+ apps at least a few times since the original "download".
3)What about apps that are free (so you download it once)...then you pay for the upgrade which costs money (and maybe the "upgrade" simply unlocks the code behind your already-downloaded-freeware to make it fully enabled)...does the upgrade count as a 2nd download?
3 billion is impressive indeed...but more info on exactly what counts as a "download" would make the chart crystal clear...for better or worse. Using some of the examples I gave, this 3billion number could easily drop to 1billion or less (which hey, is still great!)
-Eric
Don't tell me its going to reach a TRILLION just like America's trillion debt.
a billion download is a pretty impressive feast compare to Nintendo and Sony.
Without using any psychi power or asking lame jim clamer for advise, I can predict that Apple will be the fourth major gaming console followed by Sony, Nintendo, MS, and Apple.
a billion download is a pretty impressive feast compare to Nintendo and Sony.
Without using any psychi power or asking lame jim clamer for advise, I can predict that Apple will be the fourth major gaming console followed by Sony, Nintendo, MS, and Apple.
Are you Steve?
Seriously though, 3 billion in 18 months is pretty damn amazing. I'd like to see the look on Steve Balmer's face today.
LOLz. No kidding. We all make fun of Ballmer's Developers!, Developers!, Developers! dance but he was right. Jobs and Apple paid close attention to that this time.
A minute number I'm sure, whether they count it or not.
As another poster mentioned above, Apple clarified that they did not count updates as downloads the last time they reported a milestone number, so I assume they did not count updates this time either.
Apps that work this way are a tiny minority.
The potentially-valid examples you cited (#1 and #3), even in a worst-case scenario, certainly would not knock 66%+ of the downloads off the tally. Perhaps a handful of percentage points at the worst.
Yep. Developers are what make the platform.
That's where Apple's tablet device will have a leg up assuming that the App Store apps will run on it.
No, I'm saying that augumented reality software first appeared on Android. And that's not some "Google software".
The Reality for Ballmer and others
No, but I believe in his business practices and do not question his business judgement.
INTERVIEW:
iDisk: So Mr.Ballmer what do you think about the news of the App Store and Apples success so far?... It must be pretty hard to digest ALL this insanely great news from Apple, especially compared to the Zune (or whatever you call it)
Ballmer:
iDisk: Well enough Zune for thought, tell me.... What are you going to do?
Ballmer:
iDisk: Drinking doesn't solve anything... Here take some Kool Aid...
JUST TAKE A SIP AND IT'LL ALL MAKE SENSE
iDisk: See that's the spirit, It's actually better then Anything on the market.
iDisk
Are you Steve?
No, but I believe in his business practices and do not question his business judgement.
INTERVIEW:
iDisk: So Mr.Ballmer what do you think about the news of the App Store and Apples success so far?... It must be pretty hard to digest ALL this insanely great news from Apple, especially compared to the Zune (or whatever you call it)
Ballmer:
iDisk: Well enough Zune for thought, tell me.... What are you going to do?
Ballmer:
iDisk: Drinking doesn't solve anything... Here take some Kool Aid...
JUST TAKE A SIP AND IT'LL ALL MAKE SENSE
iDisk: See that's the spirit, It's actually better then Anything on the market.
iDisk
To get a feeling about how many of these 3 billion downloads were paid Apps, please join the poll: How many of the Apps you downloaded were paid Apps?
Shazam is an interesting example for other reasons as well. The major carriers rarely talk about how many downloads they sell or give away, but Shazam was a special case:
It took about a year for iPhone users to download Shazam 10 million times.
It took the same amount of time for just dumbphone users to hit the same 10 million download mark on Verizon alone.
And this happened months before the iPhone had it available. Shazam not only wasn't being written about much at the time, but it's also harder for dumbphone users to even find such an app on VZW's store.
Dumbphone apps are a hidden elephant of the business, along with ringtones (which are now dropping from their sales peak).
Odd, I could have sworn you also mentioned a couple of Google apps in your argument.
Oh, that's right, you did.
It wasn't Ballmer's message that was comedy gold, it was his sweaty, deranged delivery of that message.
You probably missed "are other examples" in that sentence...
(And BTW: I remember the huge joy here on the forum when Google StreetView first appeared on the iPhone before it was available for Android...)
You provided a whopping three examples, two of which were Google apps.
Not trying to be argumentative here, just sayin' the data you're providing doesn't do much to support your position.