New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Apple Says Developers Have Earned Over $70 Billion From App Store Since It Launched

Thursday June 1, 2017 5:26 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that its global developer community has earned over $70 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.
"People everywhere love apps and our customers are downloading them in record numbers," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Seventy billion dollars earned by developers is simply mind-blowing. We are amazed at all of the great new apps our developers create and can’t wait to see them again next week at our Worldwide Developers Conference.”
Given that Apple takes a 30 percent cut of App Store sales, including in-app purchases, the App Store's all-time revenue has likely passed $100 billion.

Apple said App Store downloads have grown over 70 percent in the past 12 months, led by the Gaming and Entertainment categories. Lifestyle apps, as well as Health and Fitness apps, have experienced over 70 percent growth in the past year. The Photo and Video category has also grown nearly 90 percent in that time.

Last month, following its quarterly earnings results, Apple said App Store revenue grew 40 percent year over year to set an all-time quarterly record, but it didn't disclose the exact amount. Apple said the App Store's success has been boosted by "breakout hits" like Pokémon GO and Super Mario Run.

Apple last disclosed its App Store payout amount in August 2016, when CEO Tim Cook said developers had earned over $50 billion.

Tag: App Store
[ 113 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
Jsameds
31 months ago

So apple made 30B just by using the Developers' IP. Good.


Let's not forget they set up the entire end-to-end infrastructure to create and distribute the apps, all the way from designing and releasing the applications used to program them - and even making their own programming language to boot - hosting said apps on their servers, designing the operating system used to run the apps, and last but not least designing and producing the actual hardware devices that run them.

Let's not forget that little part.
Rating: 24 Votes
Avatar
keysofanxiety
31 months ago

That's crazy. Such a cool idea and then everyone else (Google, Microsoft) followed suit


Well agreed it was a good idea, though the concept of apps on a device was far from a new one, and ironically Jobs was really opposed to the App Store in the first instance. I think the original iPhone only had Safari widgets or something.

There was a lot of internal pressure from inside Apple and external pressure from developers to really open up the iPhone and let people make proper apps for it. It's great that they did it though I doubt they honestly imagined the iPhone selling nearly a million units a day within a decade either. The iPhone is such an unbelievable success story.
Rating: 12 Votes
Avatar
SoN1NjA
31 months ago

Weird to announce that now and not at WWDC.

I bet they'll mention it at WWDC
Rating: 11 Votes
Avatar
OldSchoolMacGuy
31 months ago

So apple made 30B just by using the Developers' IP. Good.


The App Store provides a lot. Keep in mind that for us developers, 30% is nothing compared to the 40-50% that a normal reseller takes.

The App Store provides a place to be seen. It means small developers who would never be found normally, now have the chance to be seen by an audience of millions. They build a market place and that has HUGE value.

Imagine you're trying to sell you hot sauce. How will your product be found? Getting your product into a big grocery chain like Costco means that millions could see and purchase it. That's what Apple is providing everyone with the App Store. Without that, these developers would just be selling it on their little websites which few would find due to their limited marketing abilities to rank well in search engines and be found.

Developers could choose to instead develop for Android and not pay those fees but Apple has created an ecosystem where people are cool with paying for good apps. Apple users spend on average 4x more than Android users. They're much more willing to pay for an app and that's hugely attractive to anyone looking to sell an app.

They also provide an easy way to update apps, advertise them, monitor sales, and many other tools that small developers wouldn't normally have access to.

Complain all you like about the 30% cut that Apple takes but the truth is that few developers are complaining. We get far more from the deal than the small fee we pay.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
Amazing Iceman
31 months ago
I made about $5.00 out of the $70 Billon, and didn't get a check yet, because it's a very small amount.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
AngerDanger
31 months ago

That's crazy. Such a cool idea and then everyone else (Google, Microsoft) followed suit

Including Apple, if I recall, who initially planned on having web apps serve as the primary way to consume content on iPhones. Thank Cydia for demonstrating the potential of a dedicated App Store.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
Theophany
31 months ago

So apple made 30B just by using the Developers' IP. Good.


Distribution costs money and distribution on a hugely popular, walled garden ecosystem costs lots of money.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
imran5720
31 months ago
Did they tell how much apple made from developers...
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
MH01
31 months ago

That's a mind blowing figure.

The MR forum folks that claims Apple has no "vision" since Steve Jobs passing should remember he was strongly against the App Store.


though the App Store launched under Jobs...... so he approved it....he may have been against it, though come around....many people change their minds

How does support your point of Cook having a vision???
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Stella
31 months ago

The App Store provides a lot. Keep in mind that for us developers, 30% is nothing compared to the 40-50% that a normal reseller takes..


Your comparing Apple to oranges. Digital vs brick and mortar store. I'm not sure why people continue to make this comparison.

Digital Store overheads are far cheaper than a physical store. Brick and Mortar stores need to take more of the selling price to cover their costs. Digital Stores do not.
Rating: 4 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]