App Store hits 500 million downloads: thanks, iFart

Wowsers, that little App Store side project Apple has going on sure doesn't seem to be settling down. After launching in July of '08 and hitting 100 million downloads in September, the App Store has just crossed the 500 million download mark -- a mere six months after opening. Compare that to the iTunes Music Store, which took two whole years to cross the 500 million mark, though to be fair we have little idea of the paid to free ratio of app downloads. There are over 15,000 apps in the App Store currently, and sure, 14,500 of them are crap, with the rest being tip calculators, but we gotta hand it to Apple for pretty much unprecedented success in the mobile download space -- now let us download SNES emulators!

[Thanks, Richard]

[ImaYam @ Jan 16th 2009 11:00AM]

Fortunately, Im not one of them..

BB! :D

[Flaystus @ Jan 16th 2009 11:03AM]

I'm waiting for a more family friendly version. say... Wind Breaker

[Metkis @ Jan 16th 2009 5:55PM]

@Shugg:

You make it sound like people can't criticize what they don't own. I suppose you've owned every single one of those handsets you listed as well. Golly Shuggs, jumping off the side of a mountain sure sounds risky, but you'll never know until you try yourself!

Seriously, iPhone envy? I'm glad I didn't get pulled into trying to justify the success of 'iFart'.

Interesting fact: Not a single cell phone has created the unprecedented amount of d-bag fans as the iPhone since the Motorola RAZR.

[Miggity @ Jan 16th 2009 7:05PM]

I too used to clown on the iPhone. But then a few days ago I went in to get a new phone. And I played with an iPhone. For 45 minutes. And I loved it. It was something I had to have. I didn't even care I had to install iTunes. I am converted.

[Jeff Lewis @ Jan 19th 2009 1:28AM]

@shugg: I own a 3G iPhone. Here - let me prove you wrong:

It's easy to get a huge number of downloads in a short time if most of your stock are freebees. I suspect if half of the songs on iTunes were free - you'd have have seen them break 500M pretty quickly too. While we're at it - how are these counted? Is an update considered a download? I've had some apps get updated once or twice a week. How about when you download the same app twice as I recently had to do when moving my iPhone authentication from my laptop to my desktop caused it to panic and delete ALL MY FRIGGING APPS?

Colour me unimpressed.

[suicycle.com @ Jan 16th 2009 11:04AM]

That's always the problem when you open things up... you will have a significant percentage of junk. Innovation is cool; but when it dilutes the quality of the overall offering, then how much value is it really providing?

[TitaniumMan @ Jan 16th 2009 11:29AM]

These are the early days of the app store. Give it time.
Users will eventually reward the great apps and fads like ifart will become a smaller part of the store.

One will have to wonder if objective - C wasn't a barrier to a lot of (mostly amateur) developers, who don't want to invest in learning Cocoa, how many more junk there would actually be available.
Think what it would be like with the zillions of developers who know C++ , or Javascript/HTML/CSS :D

[utahnkid @ Jan 16th 2009 11:46AM]

What are you talking about? How does it dilute any other app if some lame ones exist? The app store is still BRAND NEW and of course it won't have every revolutionary app created in the first 6 months. The fact is no other offering from any other phone make even comes close to what Apple is offering here and it will continue to DOMINATE every other phone out there. They sell ONE model to ONE carrier and that's enough to carry them over every other manufacturer besides Nokia. I know it's so hard for you geeks to realize but copy and paste, push, and bluetooth file transfer PALE in comparison to a phone that's fun and intuitive to use. I'm glad Apple didn't take all of your asinine suggestions seriously when creating the iPhone because it's those same asinine ideas that delayed the creation of a truly great device. Bend over, grab your ankles, and take Apple's momentous success up the ass while you admit you truly don't know how to create a successful phone.

And the next iPhone, to be released in about 6 months, the same time as the Pre, will make it's rip-off job seem even more pathetic. Prepare to handle that cringe in your stomach when you see the domination continue.

Now hurry and rate this comment down, I'm sure the truth hurts. Maybe that might make you feel a little bit better to know the other out of touch nerds feel the same way. QUICKLY NERDS! HURRY!

[microlith @ Jan 16th 2009 11:53AM]

@TitaniumMan
The barrier that Objective-C poses to any competent software developer is a joke, and Cocoa is the fundamental framework that underlies both OS X and the iPhone. My guess is that at the very least, it's enough of a barrier to keep the incompetents from filling the store with utter garbage and asking $0.99 for it.

[unkone @ Jan 16th 2009 11:55AM]

"Golf claps"

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 12:13PM]

Objective C is about as big a barrier as VB.NET was to VB 6 programmers.

If you know C, or even JavaScript or PHP which basically use C like syntax, and you understand object oriented programming, then Objective C should be no problem at all. I use VB 6 (don't ask) VB.NET, PHP and JavaScript on a regular basis (obviously not on the same projects). Objective C should not be a barrier for a competent developer. The biggest barrier was having to buy a Mac. I have to say that I was very impressed with Apple's X Code IDE. Pretty good for free.

[Technodragon @ Jan 16th 2009 11:08AM]

Being an iPhone user, I'd be more impressed if 10 million of those 15 million apps weren't flashlight or other useless novelty junk.

I'd much prefer to have multitasking and push notifications (or god forbid copy and paste) than ten beer drinking apps.

[Technodragon @ Jan 16th 2009 11:10AM]

Er, make that thousand, not million... My bad.

[joe23521 @ Jan 16th 2009 11:07AM]

iFart being on the top of the charts for so long is a sad, sad commentary on the current state of mankind.

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 11:17AM]

yeah... pull my finger?

[Afrim @ Jan 16th 2009 12:09PM]

Sorry for the plug but if you dont like iFart then check out iFight!

[joe23521 @ Jan 16th 2009 11:44AM]

You need to take a deep breath and relax.

[Uncontrol @ Jan 16th 2009 11:50AM]

i think you saying "iFart" is a pretty good commentary on how you are a manchild

[Uncontrol @ Jan 16th 2009 11:51AM]

never mind i just realized that iFart is an app and not some lame commentary on the iPhone so please accept my apologies, i am a huge tool

that is pretty depressing actually

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jan 16th 2009 11:54AM]

Was it just me or did anyone else burst out laughing at the article title?

[roach @ Jan 16th 2009 12:19PM]

iFart... ooh, I'm so jealous! Good job Apple for selecting such an awesome app.

[Jay Voorhees @ Jan 16th 2009 12:47PM]

joe23521, i would but the air is so full of noxious fumes that it's kind of hard to relax.

[Félix @ Jan 16th 2009 2:18PM]

Thanks or you comment, and for all this Apple fanboy answers.
This is amazing, you are such Fanboys that you will kick this poor guy's ass because he said iFart sucks ...

My oh my ! I don't want to think about what you would have done to him if Steeve had coded this iFart crap.

Just so you get me right : I'm not saying iFart is useless or that I disapprove of such a useless app, I found it funny for like 10 seconds, I'm just trying to underline that 500 million apps downloaded means NOTHING when iFart account for like 10 million of more.

Now you can low rank this comment and go back to your iFart-rocks-the-app-store-is-the-best-idea-apple-has-ever-had-even-if-google-actually-invented-the-concept-long-before wanking.
Ty.

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 3:11PM]

Felix, he didn't say iFart sucks. He said that it being on the top of the chart is a "sad, sad commentary on the current state of mankind." I suspect that you are predisposed to see apple fanboysim everywhere you look, and you fail reading comprehension. Even if English is not your primary language, I don't see how you could possible conclude that the apple fanboys are piling on because he said iFart sucks.

[tojfs7931 @ Jan 20th 2009 9:20AM]

Lighten up dude. Geez.

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 16th 2009 11:08AM]

iFart is not even funny..

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 16th 2009 11:17AM]

Just the thought that million after million of us humans got excited about, and paid for an app based on an invisible object is f**king depressing.

[Todd @ Jan 16th 2009 11:16AM]

Interview with Steve Ballmer April, 2007

Q: People get passionate when Apple comes out with something new — the iPhone; of course, the iPod. Is that something that you'd want them to feel about Microsoft?

A: It's sort of a funny question. Would I trade 96% of the market for 4% of the market? (Laughter.) I want to have products that appeal to everybody.

Now we'll get a chance to go through this again in phones and music players. There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance....I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-04-29-ballmer-ceo-forum-usat_N.htm

[superhobo @ Jan 16th 2009 11:41AM]

Among thinking, reasoning people, those numbers are correct. Unfortunately most people are not.

Hail Ballmer.

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 12:04PM]

If you mean universal or overall market share for "smart" phones, you are probably right. If you mean current market share, as in last 12 months, current quarter, etc, which is what manufacturers care about, then those figures are way off. Nobody really cares about among all smart phones ever sold, how many are iPhones. What they care about is in the last 12 months, last quarter, what percentage of phones in that class were iPhones. It's a lot more than 3% according to multiple news sources.

December 2008 figures for market share (US) were:
iPhone 23%
Blackberry 41%
Palm 9%
Motorola 4%

Even if you assume that everything other than iPhone and BB are WinMo (which we know is not the case), 100% - 23% - 41% < 60% to 70%, and it's certainly less than 80%

Based on publicly available information from multiple sources, I'd have to say that Ballmer could not have been more wrong.

[Beastage @ Jan 16th 2009 12:44PM]

At CraigJ

Let's be fair, the US market is quite different than the market world wide.

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 1:01PM]

2008 world wide:

New data from Gartner indicates that the successful launch of the iPhone 3G was enough to push iPhone market share over that of the entire range of Windows Mobile devices. Nokia, meanwhile, maintained its number 1 spot with 42.4% in market share. iPhone market share jumped up to 12.9% during the third quarter of 2008, which represents an incredible 327.5% increase in worldwide market share for the same quarter a year ago.

World wide, Nokia + Apple = 55.3% + RiM (not mentioned but we know it is significant, for the sake of argument let's say 5%) is 60%. last time I checked 100 - 60 is 40, and even if MS had all that 40 to themselves (they don't) 40 is < 60, 70 and 80.

According to Gartner, which has been no friend to Apple in the past, for Q3 2008 iPhone market share exceeded WinMo market share globally.

Honestly, I like a lot of Microsoft stuff, and I've been to the campus many times, I use Visual Studio on a daily basis and I like it just fine. My only real beef with them lately has been the premature release of Vista (but 7 looks awesome so far), but things in Redmond seem to be going down hill since Ballmer took over as CEO, as entertaining as chair throwing and monkey dancing is. I don't think if Bill was CEO he'd have let Vista out the door before it was ready, for example. He learned his lesson with Me, and I doubt he would have made those iPhone comments that Ballmer made.

[Dubb @ Jan 16th 2009 2:20PM]

@CraigJ

Uh.....Bill Gates was fully in charge of Microsoft as the CEO when Vista was released....

[CraigJ @ Jan 16th 2009 3:07PM]

Uh, no, he wasn't

Steve Anthony Ballmer (born March 24, 1956) is an American businessman and has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer

Here's another Ballmerism that is likely going to prove false: "Ballmer dismisses Google Android" - http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10083590-94.html "They can hire smart guys, hire a lot of people, blah dee blah dee blah, but you know they start out way behind, in a certain sense," he said. "blah dee blah dee blah" - classic Ballmer.

Note to Ballmer. Just because you say it, and the media reports it doesn't make it true. I predict that history will show Ballmer to be at best a 3rd rate CEO and at worst and epic failure.

Say what you want about Apple and Jobs, what Jobs did for Apple is far more impressive than anything Ballmer has done for Microsoft, and the obvious comparisons with Bill Gates make it even more obvious that Ballmer should not be running Microsoft. They need someone with real vision, not someone who's best is to try to copy other companies.

[BoulderSun @ Jan 16th 2009 11:45AM]

"There are over 15,000 apps in the App Store currently, and sure, 14,500 of them are crap, with the rest being tip calculators"

Classy, Engadet! Way to insult *all* of the iPhone developers, many of which likely (used to?) read your site.

[losifreak107 @ Jan 16th 2009 12:00PM]

awwwww did they hurt your feelings because the App store is full of useless apps? please, share with us what app you've developed.

[losifreak107 @ Jan 16th 2009 12:13PM]

awww. did engadget hurt your little feelings? can you not admit most of the applications you "developers" have been making are crap?



please, share with us what you've contributed to the App store.

[Afrim @ Jan 16th 2009 12:18PM]

Yes some of us iPhone developers do read your blog every day and we also happen to think that some of the stuff you write about is crap. Now let e give you a slap with my iFight App!
http://tingalin.com/Blog/tabid/109/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/66/iFight-App-Video-Demo.aspx

[BoulderSun @ Jan 16th 2009 12:58PM]

@losifreak107:

I'm not a developer (nor do I play one on TV). However, if I were, I would have been insulted by Paul@Engadget's generalized slamming of all iPhone apps. Here are just a few of the great apps I use regularly:

- Google Earth
- Gas Cubby
- eWallet
- PhoneFlix
- Shazam
- Pandora
- iheartradio
- Now Playing
- TiltMeter Pro
- Total Body
- Epocrates Rx
- Urbanspoon

and yes, some games:

- Wurdle
- Rolando
- Fieldrunners

[no thanks @ Jan 16th 2009 1:15PM]

oh boy, so of the 15,000 apps, you've only found 15 that were useful enough to actually download/purchase?

that means you think only 0.1 percent of the apps are useful.

so you're being more rude than engadget is........


asshat.



now realize that they are correct, and a large percentage of the apps are worthless little fun things like iFart and the hundreds of flashlight apps....

so what.

if people download them just to try them out and laugh, even if they are crappy little apps, didn't it serve it's purpose?

Once people get used to downloading apps, and the fad of each successive "crappy little funny app" goes away, those same people are now used to downloading things to their phone, the process for doing so, and potentially the thought that they should be paid for.

now Apple has a marketplace, a set of customers, and a group of people selling products.

it's called a market economy, and once you get it set up, you'll see tremendous potential for exchange.

All of which leads to money for Apple.

it's basic business.

and believe me, Apple and most people )and developers) realize that the large majority of CURRENT apps are crap, but you have to start somewhere.....

[iPwn @ Jan 18th 2009 2:35PM]

@No thanks

I have 8 full pages on my iPhone home screen, and I'm working on my 9th one. The iPhone has a lot of great games on it:

Mazefinger
SciFly
Raging Thunder
Dactyl 2
Inferno/Rollercoaster Pinball
2079
TapDefense
Rolando
Brothers in Arms (a REAL first-person shooter)
Spore Origns
Rick Rocketson
Choppy (No, Really!)

and more... The App store was designed for games, not utilities.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Jan 16th 2009 11:19AM]

So what is it with Apple and sentence fragments? They seem intent on using them for every piece of marketing they publish.

[Aaron @ Jan 16th 2009 11:21AM]

15,000 apps and I'm STILL waiting for a last.fm scrobbler. None of the jailbreak ones work anymore and neither does the official last.fm client. :(

[Johnny Bravvo @ Jan 16th 2009 11:27AM]

Does anyone know when a legit SNES emulator is coming out for the iphone?

[Waveblade @ Jan 16th 2009 11:29AM]

Legitimate? lol. Nintendo has their DS to sell their NES games on it, they've given nothing that they would like to develop on the iPhone

[Waveblade @ Jan 16th 2009 11:59AM]

SNES*

[palehorse @ Jan 16th 2009 11:23AM]

my iPhone has a NES emulator, but I haven't looked for a SNES... will do tonight!

Screw Apple's approval process.

Rules are made to be (jail)broken!

[Kage @ Jan 16th 2009 11:27AM]

That's a pretty good accomplishment.

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 16th 2009 12:09PM]

.... and the job's only half done, next stop: 1 billion!

[ping121608 @ Jan 16th 2009 11:29AM]

congrats!