News Byte

Apple’s iTunes App Store Passes 50 Billion Downloads

Apple couldn’t have timed its countdown to 50 billion app downloads more perfectly. Just hours after Google revealed during its I/O conference keynote that app installs from its Google Play store had hit 48 billion, the iTunes App Store countdown clock rolled over to 50 billion, passing another major milestone and surpassing the achievement its rival had announced earlier in the day. The 50-billionth app? Say the Same Thing. Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, will receive a $10,000 App Store gift card for downloading it.

How Is Facebook Home Really Doing?

The social giant discloses some early stats on Facebook Home. Prognosis? Who knows.
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News Byte

Nearing One Million Downloads, Facebook Sees Some Traction With Home App

Facebook announced Thursday that Home, its application made to create a full Facebook experience on Android smartphones, is close to hitting one million downloads in the first month since its release. Facebook also plans to update its app with improved features in the coming weeks, making it easier for new users to learn how to use Home and also introducing a chat buddy list and app tray.

Apple Nears 50 Billion App Store Downloads, Plans Giveaway

Cupertino will give $10,000 in apps to whoever downloads the milestone app, with 50 runners-up getting $500.
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App Non Gratis

What matters more than hitting the Top 10 is the ability to stay in the Top 10.
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Apple’s iTunes U Hits One Billion Downloads

Apple tells AllThingsD that, to date, more than 4.5 million iPads have been sold into U.S. education institutions.
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With New Sign-In Feature, Google Plus Makes Its Developer Pitch

Google wants developers to flock to its platform. Here’s how.
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Spotify Stops Selling Downloads

They won’t be missed. Especially in the U.S., where the company hasn’t bothered to sell them in the first place.
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This Christmas, Buyers Were Stocking Up on Tablets

Christmas marked a record in terms of iOS and Android device activations and app downloads, according to Flurry.
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News Byte

Google and Apple Dominated App Installs on Android and iOS Last Year

Nope, it wasn’t Instagram or Electronic Arts. While most publishers complain about how hard it is for customers to discover their apps, here are two companies you won’t hear a peep from: Apple and Google. In 2012, the top app publishers by download were Apple on iOS and Google on Android, according to a year-end report published by Distimo, an analytics provider from the Netherlands. Apple, which has a half-dozen apps, earned an average of $7.43 per paid download, the report found, whereas Google made zero from its catalog of 60. In the case of Google, downloads included apps that were preinstalled on the handset.