This past weekend, Apple announced that the 10 billionth app had been downloaded from its App Store. As a way of expressing its thanks and marking the occasion, the company held a contest, giving away a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card to whomever downloaded the milestone app. Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK, was the lucky recipient with the download of Paper Glider. The app, which was downloaded by one of Davis’ daughters at 9:30AM (4:30AM EST), marked the end of the contest and a momentous occasion for Apple’s revolutionary store. Speaking on the store’s success, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller offered the following:
With more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years—a staggering seven billion apps in the last year alone—the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams, The App Store has revolutionized how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold. While others try to copy the App Store, it continues to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet.
With over 160 million iOS device owners worldwide, it is likely the App Store will continue to flourish and grow exponentially as the base of device owners increases. Recently, Apple has attempted to emulate the mobile store’s success by opening a desktop equivalent Mac App Store. With a total of more than 410,000 iOS apps available and a growing number of apps available in the MAS, Apple is single-handedly instigating a major shift in the software industry.
UPDATE: In an exclusive CultofMac.com interview, Davis admitted to hanging up on iTunes VP Eddy Cue believing he was a prank caller. After her daughters assured her the call was real, Davis frantically tried redialing but to no avail. Worried she’d passed up on a once in a lifetime opportunity, Davis and her family were ecstatic when they received a call back several hours later.