April 23, 2009: Less than a year after opening its virtual doors, the App Store reaches 1 billion downloads.
Peer-to-peer file sharing app Bump becomes the 1 billionth app to be downloaded. As a result of his purchase, 13-year-old Connor Mulcahey of Weston, Connecticut, wins a “1 Billion App Countdown” promotion.
He takes home an assortment of Apple products valued at more than $13,000, including a $10,000 iTunes gift card, a 32GB iPod touch, a Time Capsule and a 17-inch MacBook Pro.
App Store’s 1 billionth download
Hitting the astronomical billionth download so soon after launch showed the remarkable potential of the App Store. The simple idea — hosting a curated software collection filled with the creations of developers big and small — turned the iPhone into a device capable of doing almost anything.
“The revolutionary App Store has been a phenomenal hit with iPhone and iPod touch users around the world, and we’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve the astonishing milestone of one billion apps downloaded,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a 2009 statement. “In nine months, the App Store has completely revolutionized the mobile industry and this is only the beginning.”
At the time, Apple had sold 37 million iPhones and iPod touches, the two devices capable of accessing the App Store. There were around 35,000 iOS apps available for download. (By comparison, Apple today has sold well more than 2 billion iPhones, and the App Store houses an estimated 1.81 million different apps.)
Setting new App Store records
The App Store hit 1 billion downloads in an era during which Cupertino was very keen on celebrating such milestones. For example, in 2004 it marked the 100 millionth iTunes song download by giving that customer a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs and a personal phone call from Steve Jobs.
After the billionth App Store download, sales just kept climbing. In fact, by March 2012, Apple celebrated a staggering 25 billion apps downloaded. In 2020, the App Store enabled $643 billion in billings and sales, according to Apple.
And all of this from an App Store that a skeptical Jobs did not want to allow!
Victim of its own success?
However, the App Store’s astonishing success — and Apple’s tight control over the marketplace — gives antitrust regulators around the world a ripe target. Apple faces potential regulation at home and abroad.
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act already forced Apple to make changes to iOS and the App Store. iOS 17.4, released in March 2024, opened up the iPhone to allow third-party app marketplaces and sideloading on iOS devices.
It also opened the iPhone’s NFC chip to third-party payment and banking apps, giving users an alternative to Apple Pay. These and other measures are designed to loosen Cupertino’s grip on the App Store.
Can you recall the first app you ever downloaded from the App Store? Let us know in the comments below.