Nice, now I actually have a decent chance of winning something this time around! Time to bulk purchase all the free apps in my shopping cart! 
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Apple Begins Countdown to 50 Billion App Store Downloads
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Not so sure about that. That might only kick in if you get them to give you cash value as most states have laws that if asked, they must. Particularly if there's o physical store within a reasonable distance from the receiver's home. And that might be the real reason for the restriction. Because the laws are for gift cards, store credits are exempt. Apple wants to insure they get the money back and doesn't have to give someone cash
The last contest, I didn't realize that free apps counted. I think the winner was a girl from China downloading Where's my Water Free. I suppose when it gets close I will download some free apps that I don't need.
Hmm, interesting. Running the Windows version of iTunes on a Mac that has it built-in already.
Windows iTunes app on your Mac?!
How about running iTunes on a virtual Mac OS X machine on your Boot Camp Windows Partition on your Hackintosh?
I hope there's a price going towards the developers, especially struggling ones that have great apps. Sorta like a fund or something. God knows apple can afford it, and god also knows the devs have made some money for apple over the years as well as propelled them to sell more and more idevices.
edit: ok, got it, it's a gift card. How very generous of them...
Think about what you're saying here. The gift card IS for the app developers to benefit from. What else would anyone use the gift card for, free apps that pay no revenue? If some app app developers are struggling that's their problem. They need to create that killer app for iOS. It's a risk jumping into an app store with hundreds of thousands of apps. Life is a risk in business.
50 billion downloads and apple repays developers $350 bucks when they have $150 billion in the bank? If there's anyone who's helped them sell millions of idevices it's the developers themselves, the vast majority of which are barely getting by due to the intense competition. Excuse me but they paid John effing whatshisname Dixons manager 3 million for half a year of mucking it up in retail and they can't afford more than $350 for their developers. Head honchos are throwing around hundreds of millions between themselves for the past few years, and as token of their gratitude towards the people who make the applications without which their devices would pretty much be glorified bricks what they can muster is a little over the price for an average ipod touch?
I think that's not just stingy, it's downright insulting. A $500 gift card on the 50 billion downloads mark. Wow, that's effing generous. (as an aside they are surely going to make a few tens of times that amount they are giving away. out of the people buying just to hit the 50 bill mark and get the price, kids especially.)
(In addition, I, as a consumer would like them to handpick 100-500 apps that are great but are not getting by in sales (and they know very well who is or isn't selling) and curate them so quality rises in the app store. )
These are astronomical numbers, literally. As many apps downloaded as there are stars in a small galaxy.
My god, you took the words out of my head. Perspective, much needed. I love how people complain about taxes to pay for our safety, education, civil servants yet have no issue dropping ~$10-12 movie ticket, hundreds on sporting events, all to feed million dollar paychecks to celebrities.
Priorities are severely lacking these days.
If Apple is moving away from skeuomorphism, then why is the ticker like an old school clipboard?
Sure, we have it all figured out. And, we are going to tell you.
DUH!
First off, nobody can figure it out exactly. After all, it could swing by an hour or so. Even if you knew the exact minute - it would be almost impossible to get in at the right time.
And, hello!!! - if somebody KNEW, why would they share or post it?
At the current rate apps are being downloaded worldwide u have a better chance of hitting the lottery then being one of the "50".
My best guess...it'll take about 13.2 days to reach 50,000,000,000 at the current rate of approximately 695 apps downloaded per second.
When I calculated this it was about 4:05 pm CST, meaning you're best bet is to be downloading apps every second at around 8:53 CST on May 15th.
It really wouldn't be all that difficult to write a computer algorithm that calculated the exact time the ticker on iTunes would reach 50B - of course, that ticker isn't necessarily an accurate representation so who knows!?
Downloads would likely accelerate when the ticker hits some kind of psychological shelf as well so my guess is it'll go a little bit faster than 13.2 days. But by how much I have no idea.