Apple App Store downloads hit 15-billion mark

Apple announced on Thursday that more than 15-billion applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch have been downloaded from its App Store since inception.

The California based tech giant also said the App Store now carries more than 425,000 free and paid applications for the 200 million iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches in use worldwide. Over 100,000 applications have been developed for the iPad alone, Apple said.

“In just three years, the revolutionary App Store has grown to become the most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen,” Apple senior vice president Philip Schiller said in a statement.

The company also said it has paid iOS applications developers over $2.5 billion to date for the plethora of apps available for download.

“In just three years, the revolutionary App Store has grown to become the most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen,” said Schiller. “Thank you to all of our amazing developers who have filled it with over 425,000 of the coolest apps and to our over 200 million iOS users for surpassing 15 billion downloads.”

In spite of these impressive looking figures, Apple, which launched its App Store in July 2008, is currently embroiled in a dispute with online retail giant Amazon over the phrase “app store.”

Amazon offers programs for smartphones and tablet computers powered by Google’s Android operating system in its “Amazon AppStore for Android” and Apple is seeking to bar the company from calling it an “app store.”

A federal judge denied Apple’s request to immediately stop Amazon from using the phrase on 6 July, however, dealing a blow to their campaign for ownership of the term.

“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,” US District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton said.

“However, there is also evidence that the term ‘app store’ is used by other companies as a descriptive term for a place to obtain software applications for mobile devices.”

The court’s decision was based on the assertion that Apple has failed to establish that its “App Store” mark is famous enough to be considered prominent or renowned. The essential concern was that people automatically think of Apple when someone says iPad, iPhone, or iPod, but the same association is not necessarily made with the term “app store.”

Apple also recently had a go at the small, Linux-based Amahi applications platform, slapping the company with slapped with a cease and desist letter for their “unauthorized use [sic]” of the term “app store”.

The next-generation of Apple apps will be accessed via the new iOS 5, which will ship to customers later this year, possibly along with the new iPhone 5, if recent reports are to be believed.

Currently users of iOS devices around the world can choose from a range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, education, sports, health, reference and travel.

Pic: Cristiano Betta