14 DAY TRIAL // It pays off to be a developer selling apps in the iOS and Mac App Stores. Especially a well-ranked developer whose apps are displayed front and center when you visit the two digital distribution venues.
Apple’s press release doesn’t differentiate between platforms, but we all know where the big bucks are: iOS.
Big spending
In the first week of 2015, people spent almost half a billion dollars (€423 million) on apps, games and in-app purchases, Apple said, adding that January 1 was the most profitable day in the history of the App Store. The news bodes well with reports stating that, despite Android commanding the smartphone industry by market share, iOS still rakes in more cash.
The company enumerated some award-winning games, and even cited the developer of one of them. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the titles that get highlighted by Apple also get downloaded the most, but it works the other way around as well.
Billions upon billions for developers
As far as the developer camp was concerned, Apple said it paid out $10 billion (€8.46 billion) to application sellers in 2014. This, after taking its own 30 percent cut for maintenance and services.
Since the App Store’s inception, Apple has paid out a total of $25 billion (€21.16 billion) to developers, most of whom sell iOS apps. Unfortunately, the company didn’t mention any desktop figures, which indirectly confirms that the Mac App Store accounts for only a small fraction of the cash flow.