Apple Has Paid out $70 Billion to App Developers Since 2008

Apple on Thursday reported that since its inception in July, 2008, the iOS App Store has generated revenue allowing Apple to pay its domestic and international app developers over $70 billion dollars.

The revelation comes as we’re just days away from Apple’s 28th annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017, at which the company will showcase a variety of next-generation software titles, applications, and potentially a few hardware products.

“People everywhere love apps and our customers are downloading them in record numbers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in the company’s official press release. “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.”

Apple acknowledged that several of the more popular titles — including blockbuster hits like Pokemon GO and Super Mario Run — are in large part responsible for the overwhelming growth of the app store. For instance, Apple says during the last year the app store saw a massive 70% boost in downloads, as well as continued support for big-hit titles.

In terms of overall revenue, Apple reports that gaming and entertainment were among the highest-performing app categories, driven largely by the presence of increasingly immersive games built on subscription-style pricing models — within which Apple noted seeing a dramatic 58% uptick in, year over year. Subscription-based games and titles that allow continuous in-app purchases were among Apple’s highest earning, and apps from bourgeoning categories like Photo and Video, or Health and Fitness, grew by over 90% and 70%, respectively.

“App Store developers from around the world create apps for customers in 155 countries that improve lives, rethink industries and shape culture. Gaming and Entertainment are top-grossing categories, and Lifestyle apps as well as Health and Fitness have experienced over 70 percent growth in the past year. The Photo and Video category is also among the fastest-growing at nearly 90 percent growth,” Apple said.

This news is certainly great for Apple’s current app developers, developers past, and equally promising for future entrepreneurs in the app economy. Of course, it also comes on the cusp of WWDC 2017, which will kick off with a keynote speech on Monday, June 5 at 10 am PST. Make sure to stay with us for all the updates and revelations that Apple has to offer this year, and find out all about the next-generation of apps for iOS 11, macOS 10.13, watchOS 4 and more.