Tech giant Apple has announced its App Store, which sells applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, has now recorded three billion downloads with one third of those occurring in the last three months.
Developers of iPhone applications have also noticed an increase in the last few months, saying more and more users are joining the store.
Chief executive Steve Jobs said in a statement the amount of downloads recorded is a sign the App Store is beating out the competition, which includes the Android Market, Windows Mobile Marketplace and Nokia’s Ovi Store.
Three months ago the company announced it had recorded over two billion downloads in the App Store with about 85,000 apps available, while it recorded its first billion downloads nine months ago. The number of apps in the store jumped to over 100,000 in early November.
A number of iPhone developers have said they have recorded higher sales, but this is offset by the huge number of new developers and apps entering the market every minute. Keith Ahern, who runs Australian iPhone apps studio MoGeneration, says he has noticed a jump in sales.
“Yes, we have definitely seen it pick up. Apple have bought out a wireless ad company which has helped there. And because the App Store is growing, it’s just too much content, so third party websites are now creating new places to discover apps and speciality websites to find new programs.”
“This is going to reach a situation… where there could be saturation, where every big company has an iPhone app. But there is still going to be an ongoing relationship with businesses putting out content.”
Marc Edwards, who runs app studio Bjango, says he has also recorded a rise in sales. However, this has prompted him to work even harder in maintain his company’s status in the store.
“Christmas was a spike, and I think things just keep gradually building. Downloads are accelerating, but so is the number of developers, so we’re having to pedal faster.”
“I think the end result of this is that everyone will have a smartphone. There might be some cheaper line Nokias or whatever around, but I think the market will be entirely smartphones and there will be a major focus on putting content out.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
