Apple today announced that its App Store ecosystem supported $519 billion in billings and sales worldwide in 2019, based on an independent study conducted by Analysis Group, an economic consulting firm in the United States.
Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $155 billion from app and in-app purchases, with a quarter of those earnings occurring in 2019. However, the App Store also facilitates the sale of a wide variety of physical goods and services, ranging from Uber and Lyft rides to Postmates and DoorDash deliveries, which the study found accounted for $413 billion of the last year's total.
Of this $413 billion, some categories include:
$268 billion from retail apps such as Target, Best Buy, and Etsy
$57 billion from travel apps such as Expedia and United
$40 billion from ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft
$31 billion from food delivery apps such as DoorDash and Grubhub
Apple CEO Tim Cook:
The App Store is a place where innovators and dreamers can bring their ideas to life, and users can find safe and trusted tools to make their lives better. In a challenging and unsettled time, the App Store provides enduring opportunities for entrepreneurship, health and well-being, education, and job creation, helping people adapt quickly to a changing world. We're committed to doing even more to support and nurture the global App Store community — from one-developer shops in nearly every country to businesses that employ thousands of workers — as it continues to foster innovation, create jobs, and propel economic growth for the future.
Apple said the App Store now has nearly two million apps and is accessed by half a billion people each week across 175 countries.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
> The App Store is a place where innovators and dreamers can bring their ideas to life
Except if they compete with Apple. Or try to offer free speech. Or need to escape Apple's narrow sandbox. Or have a novel business model that can't work with 30% overhead. Etc.
offer free speech in an App Store what does that even mean? Please elaborate. So developers that make good money, are now going to bite the hand that feeds them; pretty much?! I get changing default iOS apps to third party but asking for no fees when distribution, support for over 12 different mode iPhones to make money off of, guaranteed per sale income (no refunds) and ability to upload test keys for apps? Not agreeing on that ever.
every business should be able to work with some overhead. If you’re coding completely 24/7 no other income then it’s your responsibility to deal with rent, food, internet and other bills not Apple.
App Store is great for developers. Any developers complaining about the lack of "alternative app stores" clearly doesn't understand the user experience side of having 1 app store. They also don't understand that having 1 app store allows Apple to concentrate all of their resources to making it better for the developer.
Impressive and good news for Apple. This is the future for Apple and it knows it -- services, recurring revenue, and software. It's just far more profitable and sustainable over time.
Cook & Co. has a Complete & Total Stranglehold on "App Discovery" in their "curated" iOS App Store !
UN-Discovered Gem Apps sit Idle, while apps from BIG public companies that appear to be near-copy-cats of other similar apps (flooded) in the App Store, get recommended as App of the Day ... see today's Photoshop app !
Strike that, it's actually "two" MAJOR complaints:
> The App Store is a place where innovators and dreamers can bring their ideas to life
Except if they compete with Apple. Or try to offer free speech. Or need to escape Apple's narrow sandbox. Or have a novel business model that can't work with 30% overhead. Etc.
