Creating records is fast becoming a habit for Apple, but still the fact that Apple App store has now recorded more than 15 billion app
downloads is worth mentioning. iOS may have smaller smartphone market share than Android, but its App Store performance has far out scored 4.5 billion download tally reported by Android a little time back. Currently, the number of iOS users is more than 200 million globally. Guess, Apple can afford to gloat a little.
However, a US judge managed to rain on Apple's App Store parade. Some time back, Apple had sued Amazon and had asked the online retailer to not use "App Store" for naming its online smartphone app shop. A federal judge in the US decided that Apple cannot rightfully claim phrase "App Store" to be a trademark. The judge wrote, "The evidence does show that Apple has spent a great deal of money on advertising and publicity, and has sold/provided/furnished a large number of apps from its App Store." But ultimately decided that "app store" is a "descriptive term".
Amazon would be selling Android apps through its online app store. Though, Apple need not worry much as most of its users are savvy enough to differentiate between different app stores. Apple claims that it coined the term in 2008 and its application for registering the phrase as a trademark has already been accepted by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Interestingly, the application was opposed by Microsoft.