After yesterday's news that Microsoft had reached 18,000 apps on Windows Mobile 7 - app specialists Chop, 148apps and Chillingo claim Apple has now reached 500,000 approved apps on iTunes.
According to the app specialists Apple's app store offers content for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and 37% of the 500,000 app are available to download free of charge.
The actual number of available apps hovers at around 400,000 or so - a number that we’re almost certain to be told two weeks from now when Steve Jobs either does or doesn’t take the stage for a keynote presentation at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference which kicks-off on June 7.
The difference between available apps and total apps approved is, of course, due to the fact that some apps were never upgraded for new versions of iOS, some were subsequently yanked by the App Police when they had second thoughts, and some were simply orphaned by their devs.
The new data shows that how the App store has grown over the years – there were 10,000 apps, by November 4, 2008. 100,000 apps, by the following year November 29, 2009. Then it doubled to 200,000 apps, within 5 months to April 29, 2010. It double again in the next 5 months to 300,000 apps, in October 10, 2010 and finally it added another 50,000 to reach 350K apps by January 22, 2011.
According to the new data the average iOS developer produces 4.6 apps, and the average price for a paid app is $3.64. This January, Apple announced that it had paid over $2bn to developers in its 70/30 revenue split.
According to Apple themselves, which was announced back in January, they have served an amazing 10 billion app downloads in less than three years after the services launched.
Speaking about the 10 billionth download announcement, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Philip Schiller announced: “With more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years, a staggering seven billion apps in the last year alone, the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams.”
Apple's app store launched in the July 2008 the app store launched with a measily 500 app, but it still managed an impressive 10 million app downloads in its opening weekend.