60 million iPhone apps downloaded so far

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Speaking to the Wall Street Journal today, Steve Jobs announced that Apple's AppStore is doing very well indeed, totting up some 60 million downloads from the site so far.

In monetary terms, the downloads come to around $45 million, with the revenue of the downloads split between Apple and the app developers 30/70. If this continues, Apple stands to bank at least $360 million a year in new revenue from the AppStore.

"Who knows, maybe it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time," said Jobs in the interview. "I've never seen anything like this in my career for software."

Something that also came out in the interview is that Jobs has the ability to get rid of any undesirable software from the iPhone, as code embedded in every handset routinely checks Apple's website, theoretically feeding back info about what is on the phone to Apple.

Speaking about this, Jobs does say that even though the technology exists, it is merely there as a precaution, cryptically stating: "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull."

View: TechRadar

(2 replies) #1 thealexweb on 11 Aug 2008 - 21:47

Wow, Apple gets a 30% cut on each one, they must be raking it in, the iphone store is probably in profit already.

#1.1 eAi on 11 Aug 2008 - 23:05

I doubt it. They're having to subsidize the bandwidth/storage of all the free apps too, plus pay for the developers, QA, app reviewers plus everyone else involved. They say that they're not intending to make any money from the App Store, like iTunes, though I believe Apple does make a (relatively) small amount from iTunes now...

I doubt that call all be paid for by $9 million. 30% is low margin in my experience of retail.

#1.2 Magallanes on 11 Aug 2008 - 23:19

(eAi said @ #1.1)

Bandwidth can cost around 5-50 cents x gigabyte and storage cost 30-80 cents x gigabyte. To developer the site is only 1 time payment. The support is costly yet the profit margin is really high.

(1 reply) #2 JonathanMarston on 11 Aug 2008 - 22:31

Is there such a "lever" on all Apple computers?

#2.1 osirisX on 12 Aug 2008 - 04:21

No. It's impossible anyways since OS X apps are not wrapped in DRM like iPhone apps are.

#3 Sam Symons Live on 11 Aug 2008 - 23:44

Great work, Apple

I must account for about 100 of those apps :p

#4 Julius Caro on 12 Aug 2008 - 00:01

I guess this explains why they went from the shared-profits scheme to the "let the carriers screw the consumers as theyve been done for the past years" scheme: they dont care, since they get the money from the app store. I would have prefered it if they had gone all nokia on us selling the iphone for 900 euro instead of signing exclusive agreements with the stupid mobile phone carriers.

#5 LTD on 12 Aug 2008 - 00:06

Congrats, Apple!

(1 reply) #6 Spanias on 12 Aug 2008 - 02:06

Just a little comment. Isn't that little piece of lever mentioned calling home without asking the user? If that is the case and knowing that many users choose not to pay for internet on their mobile phones, won't that little lever actually cost the users that do not have internet or even have pay as you go sim carts? So I say... That lever to remove running software should not exist or at least not without notifying the user and warning that it my incur in extra cost if enabled.

#6.1 ambushed on 12 Aug 2008 - 06:23

I imagine it only calls home when connected to itunes. But it's still BS

#7 ajua on 12 Aug 2008 - 02:08

This scheme is abusive for developers. I wonder why the media doesn't view this as this was done in the Windows platform.

In Windows, or other platform, this kind of scheme is inconceivable.

(1 reply) #8 GEIST on 12 Aug 2008 - 02:55

And yet I'm still getting far more out of jailbreaking and using Cydia/Installer apps than the crap from their AppStore.

#8.1 hektik on 12 Aug 2008 - 09:13

Damn right!

(1 reply) #9 +Frazell Thomas on 12 Aug 2008 - 03:44

This is just crazy...

How can Apple get away with stuff that is inconievable in the tech industry? Forcibly phoning home about all the software installed on someone's phone with NO opt out for the user or even telling them for that matter? That is just wow!

I don't get it... How can Apple still exist? They are installing apps on computers without permission, spying on their users, etc.?

This stuff has went from making me happy to not buy Apple stuff to just being sick at the very sight of them.

#9.1 bobbba on 12 Aug 2008 - 14:09

easy with the tin foil there, where's the proof that it phones home and that it's not something built in to itunes(which it probably is).

As for "installing apps on computers without permission, spying on their users" you've gone too far over the hill there to justify an answer.

(1 reply) #10 obsolete_power on 12 Aug 2008 - 04:40

I don't think $45 million were spent on apps. I think most people download the free ones. I think apple made probably in the 100,000's, not millions. Those values have to be lies....

#10.1 Binary on 12 Aug 2008 - 16:48

(obsolete_power said @ #10)

Um, do the math.

60 million downloads, but only $45 million. even if each app sold was only $1 that's still 15 million free apps downloaded. And since we all know most apps are more than $1, most of the 60 million downloaded have indeed been free.

Why do you think they would lie about revenue?

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