Consumers spent half a billion dollars on apps in the first week of January and New Year’s Day 2015 was the biggest single sales day in the history of the App Store, Apple has confirmed.
The consumer tech giant also said that during 2014, billings rose 50pc and apps generated more than US$10bn for developers.
So far, since the App Store opened its door, developers have earned more than US$25bn from the sales of apps and games.
“This year is off to a tremendous start after a record-breaking year for the App Store and our developer community,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of internet software and services.
“We’re so proud of the creativity and innovation developers bring to the apps they create for iOS users and that the developer community has now earned over US$25bn.”
Apple said the iOS 8 operating system and Apple’s new Swift programming language fuelled innovation on the App Store.
Apple also revealed that more than US$100m in donations have been raised for (RED) – an initiative with exclusive content where all the proceeds go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – since its inception in 2006. The current quarter has provided some US$20m to this fund.
App Store image via Shutterstock
