Apple Announces Winner in Billionth App Contest

After posting the “Thanks a Billion” sign on the front page of its website, Apple issued an official report, formally announcing that iPhone and iPod touch owners had downloaded one billion applications from its revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world.

In the report, Apple reveals that the one billionth app downloaded on the App Store was created by Bump Technologies, proving to be a real bump in the road for the countdown timer, which stopped at precisely one billion downloads on Thursday evening. Responsible for the download was Connor Mulcahey, age 13, of Weston, CT. Connor will receive a $10,000 iTunes gift card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule and a MacBook Pro, and the title of “grand prize winner of Apple’s one billion app countdown contest.” Congrads Connor!

“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,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said. “In nine months, the App Store has completely revolutionized the mobile industry and this is only the beginning.”

Additional details are also noted in the report. For example, Apple claims that developers can now reach tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch users around the world through the iTunes App Store. The venue currently hosts more than 35,000 applications available to consumers in 77 countries.

Although not breaking news, more interesting is the fact that iPhone OS 3.0, launching this summer as a free software update for iPhone owners, will provide developers with over 1,000 new developer APIs enabling In-App Purchases, Peer-to-Peer connections, App control of accessories, and Push Notifications. Apple explains that the iPhone OS 3.0 release will also add over 100 customer features, including cut, copy and paste; Spotlight search; landscape keyboard and view for all key iPhone apps; MMS support (only on iPhone 3G), and expanded parental controls for apps, TV shows, and movies from the App Store.

Readers can visit the App Store here and browse through the thousands of free and paid apps, guiding themselves through the categories and user reviews.