Apple keeps 30 cents of every dollar that flows through the App Store, meaning the store generated more than $6 billionin revenue for Apple. - Bloomberg
The record sales were spurred by newly introduced line of products including the all-new Apple TV and Apple Watch.
Published: Wed 6 Jan 2016, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Fri 8 Jan 2016, 11:19 AM
Apple said on Wednesday its App Store billings topped a record $20 billion in 2015 with its outlets across the world, including the Middle East's first two stores in the UAE, set new sales records during the weeks of Christmas and New Year holiday season.
The record sales were spurred by newly introduced line of products including the all-new Apple TV and Apple Watch.
"Apple customers around the world made this holiday season the biggest ever for the App Store," the US personal technology giant said on Wednesday.
In the two weeks ending January 3, customers spent over $1.1 billion on apps and in-app purchases, setting back-to-back weekly records for traffic and purchases as annual App Store billings topped a record $20 billion in 2015. "January 1, 2016 marked the biggest day in App Store history with customers spending over $144 million. It broke the previous single-day record set just a week earlier on Christmas Day," Apple said in a statement.
When the Middle East's first Apple stores officially opened in Dubai and Abu Dhabi two months ago in October residents and tourists flocked to the outlets in Mall of the Emirates and Yas Mall to get a hold of everything from the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to the Apple Watch and Beats headphones. The UAE App stores feature more than 150 products including Apple Watches, iPhones, MacBook Pros, Beats headphones, iPads, iMacs, Apple TVs and select third-party accessories.
"The App Store had a holiday season for the record books. We are excited that our customers downloaded and enjoyed so many incredible apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, spending over $20 billion on the App Store last year alone," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president of Worldwide Marketing. "We are grateful to all the developers who have created the most innovative and exciting apps in the world for our customers. We can't wait for what's to come in 2016."
Worldwide, the App Store has brought in nearly $40 billion for developers since 2008, with over one-third generated in the last year alone. Apple keeps 30 cents of every dollar that flows through the App Store, meaning the store generated more than $6 billion in Apple revenue for the year; the remainder of the money goes to developers.
The figures highlight the growing financial importance of apps for Apple, which posted revenue of $233 billion and net income of $53 billion in the fiscal year ended September. The roughly 1.5 million available apps boost the appeal of Apple's highly profitable hardware and help to distinguish Apple's products from its competitors.
The news about the record holiday season sales came as Apple's stock tumbled on Tuesday on the heels of a report saying the tech giant may significantly slash its iPhone 6S and 6S Plus output.
Japanese news outlet Nikkei reported the tech giant is expected to reduce the output on its flagship device by about 30 per cent between January and March.
Apple spokesman said the launch of the all-new Apple TV and Apple Watch have paved the way for entirely new app experiences, changing how people consume content through their television and providing useful information at a glance on Apple's most personal device yet.
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com
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