Apple’s App Store Q4 Revenue Grows Nearly 60% to $5.4 Billion
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Apple’s worldwide revenue for apps from the App Store excluding games grew to $5.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to research firm Sensor Tower. The figure represents a 59% increase from the $3.4 billion the App Store raked in during the same period in 2015, indicating that Cupertino’s app revenues are growing at a healthy clip.
Sensor Tower’s data show that the last three months of 2016 were a banner quarter for both Apple and its chief rival Google. Worldwide net revenues from all apps for both the App Store and Google Play grew by 67% year-over-year, from around $5.2 billion to $8.7 billion. A closer look reveals that Apple is still far outpacing Google in app revenues by a hefty margin of $2 billion, although Google Play revenues enjoyed an 82% year-on-year increase as Android attempts to close the gap.
Spotify was the App Store’s top non-game app by revenue during 2016, with Netflix and LINE snagging second and third places respectively. However, it bears mentioning that Netflix, which began allowing in-app subscription, was the top app by revenue for the fourth quarter of 2016 and became the top grossing iOS app in the US last month. The top three non-game apps by downloads respectively were Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube.
Apple’s growing App Store revenues have supplemented its earnings from sales of iPhones, iPads, and other hardware devices, putting the world’s most valuable company on track to reach the $1 trillion revenue milestone this year.
Did you purchase more apps in 2016 than in 2015?
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