According to a new report from App Store analytics firm Distimo (via The Next Web), Apple's App Store once again experienced a great spike in interest on Christmas day, with revenue increasing by 56 percent and the number of total downloads rising by 53 percent.

The firm tied the increase in downloads and revenue to interest from Western countries on Christmas day, and also credits developers such as Rovio Entertainment and ZeptoLab strategically releasing their titles just before Christmas to maximize product interest and profit potential.

appstore_christmasday13

Main contributors to this year’s Christmas spike were Western countries. For example: download volume in the United Kingdom increased by 161 percent on Christmas day. In addition, revenues in United States almost doubled with a plus of 97 percent in the Apple App Store. In the large Asian app markets like Japan and Korea this trend was hardly visible.

However, while the figures show strong App Store numbers on Christmas day this year, the report also notes that the percentages in 2013 are lower compared to the past two years. On Christmas day 2011, Distimo stated that there was a threefold growth in download volume compared to an average day in December, which was followed by near double download growth a year later.

Other notable Christmas 2013 findings from the firm include data showing that the increase in paid downloads was greater than that of free downloads, and that the growth of revenue from in-app purchases was less than that of the growth in revenue from apps charging a one-time fee.

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
153 months ago
Yeah, but it looks like the scariest part of a roller coaster…

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djtech42 Avatar
153 months ago
I love this statement because I really hate IAPs:

Hopefully developers who have been ripping people off with IAPs will learn their lesson.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
153 months ago
Damn what sort of animation is that, HTML5 based? Because I can see it on my iphone :P
Ha - no, it's a gif. WebKit's implementation of CSS-3 allows you to animate pngs, and Firefox supports apngs... AFAIK, there's no newer way of doing sprite animations on IE, and I don't know of any HTML5 technologies that let you do sprite animations (granted, nearly all of my web programming experience is with JS/JQ, not HTML or CSS.)

I'd actually consider an iTunes gift card a lame Christmas present. Too sterile. A sweater or something would be nicer.
I disagree. Gift cards are very nice. I'm $20K in debt right now. I need money more than anything else. But asking for money is no fun. Your thank you card would look something like, "Thank you for the $100. I'm now only $19.9K in debt." With gift cards though, you can say, "I used the $100 Cheesecake Factory gift card to take my fiancé out on our anniversary - without you, we would have had ramen noodles for dinner."

I also got $100 towards Macy's. We used it to buy stuff off our registry. $25 towards iTunes - we'll buy music for the reception.

A sweater? I have a relative who knits things for everyone ever year. Don't get me wrong - I wear the mittens all the time, but I definitely prefer my North Face to any sweater she could knit.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
153 months ago


The good news: Apple China pre-sold 100,000 iPhone's in 2 days since being available.

The bad news: This Chinese carrier has over 763 millon subscribers.

It's a long play. It's not like Apple will be selling iPhones on China Mobile for a couple weeks and then disappear.

No... Apple will be selling iPhones on China Mobile for the foreseeable future.

People seem to forget that the iPhone has been available on 2 major Chinese carriers for the last 4 years. Why would adding the 3rd major carrier ever be considered a bad thing?

I also remember hearing "if someone hasn't gotten an iPhone already... being on China Mobile won't persuade them"

Well with 100,000 pre-orders in the first 2 days on China Mobile... clearly there were some people who were interested. Do you think those are the only people EVER who will buy an iPhone on China Mobile? Of course not. Again... it's a long play.

Besides... these were pre-orders that you could only reserve online or by calling a hotline.

Let's see what happens when the iPhone is officially available on China Mobile January 17th.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lionel Messi Avatar
153 months ago
I love this statement because I really hate IAPs:
Other notable Christmas 2013 findings from the firm include data showing that the increase in paid downloads was greater than that of free downloads, and that the growth of revenue from in-app purchases was less than that of the growth in revenue from apps charging a one-time fee.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
153 months ago
I'd actually consider an iTunes gift card a lame Christmas present. Too sterile. A sweater or something would be nicer.

Excuse me, but I prefer to buy my own clothing. When I get an iTunes gift card, I can use it to get exactly what I want. For the right person, it is the perfect gift.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
LG UltraFine 6K Display TB5

LG UltraFine 6K (32U990A) TB5 Display: Pre-Orders Open September 30

Monday September 29, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Pre-orders for LG's new UltraFine evo 6K display (model 32U990A) with Thunderbolt 5 support will begin on September 30, according to a major U.S. retailer listing. LG first revealed the 32-inch display at CES 2025 in January, teasing its status as the first monitor to support Thunderbolt 5. At the time, LG only provided high-level specs, but left pricing, availability, and full technical...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent 1

Samsung Confirms Plan to Make Foldable Displays for Major American Company

Monday September 29, 2025 6:54 am PDT by
Samsung Display president Lee Cheong has confirmed plans to make foldable smartphone displays for a major American company, which is widely believed to be Apple. As reported in Chosun Biz, Cheong last week told journalists in Seoul that the company is accelerating preparations for mass production of OLED displays designed for foldable smartphones to be supplied to a "North American client."...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 Rumors: Everything We Know So Far

Monday September 29, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is likely to arrive next year, so here's what to expect. The current iPad mini came out in 2024, with the main upgrade over the previous version being the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence support. The previous generation introduced a complete redesign and the A15 Bionic chip. In August, Apple mistakenly shared code that revealed key information about ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...