Ina Fried

Recent Posts by Ina Fried

Apple Nears 50 Billion App Store Downloads, Plans Giveaway

Apple said on Thursday that it is approaching 50 billion downloads from its App Store.

As has become customary for such events, Apple is prepping a giveaway for whoever downloads the milestone app — in this case, a $10,000 gift card to the App Store. The next 50 customers will get a $500 App Store gift card.

Cheapskates (and Android users) can even enter without downloading an app by going here.

Apps, meanwhile, have become big business for Apple and Google, generating billions in revenue. Software sales, meanwhile, have helped transform iTunes from a near-break-even business to a significant profit generator.

Apple has also paid out more than $9 billion to app developers, up from more than $7 billion as of January.

And app downloads continue at a torrid pace, with Apple having reported in October 2012 that it had just crossed 35 billion downloads.

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