You think 50 billion is a big number? It's certainly a bit bigger than some other numbers that spring to mind, such as 48 billion, and that in itself gives Apple something to celebrate. As is customary with these App Store milestones, whichever lucky jackanape triggered their download at just the right millisecond will receive a gift -- a $10,000 iTunes voucher, no less -- while 50 runners-up will get $500-worth of credit each.

But none of that is the really big, big news. What matters here is the rate of growth, which seems to have accelerated during the course of this year. It took 14 weeks for the App Store to get from 40 billion to 45 billion downloads between January and April, but less than 4 weeks to get from 45 to 50 billion. Now, we're totally dependent on Apple's internal stock-takers, not to mention an erratic ticker ("for illustrative purposes only"), but if those numbers are even remotely accurate then they represent something of a popularity surge.

Update: Apple has issued a press release (available after the break) for the 50 billionth download, performed by Brandon Ashmore downloading Say The Same Thing and snagging a $10,000 App Store gift card for it.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Source: Apple (1), (2)

Forget Bitcoin: Amazon's got a digital currency of its own, known as Coins, coming to the Kindle Fire right on schedule. The virtual money, which was originally announced back in February, is now ready to go for anyone who frequents the Amazon Appstore or uses a Kindle Fire to purchase apps and games. Bezos & Co. is willing to throw in a bit of an investment to get you started, as the online retailer will hook up existing and new users with 500 free coins -- a value of $5. Need more than that? Head to the More Coverage link below to grab as many coins as fits your fancy. A 10 percent discount awaits those who purchase in bulk, which adds a tad more incentive to go all-in on the new service.

Filed under: Tablets, Wireless, Mobile, Amazon

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Source: Amazon

Amazon let its world domination plans be known last month when it asked developers to start submitting apps to line its virtual displays in more countries. While China was notably absent from immediate expansion plans, Amazon launched its Appstore there during the weekend, opening the doors to one of the biggest mobile device markets. As Reuters notes, the Google Play store is available in China, but only serves up free material, whereas Amazon's Appstore has a selection of both free and paid software available for users. While the company launched its e-book store and e-reader apps in China last December, devices are still waiting for their ticket over. Now, with the release of the Appstore, we suspect it's only a matter of time before the Kindle and Fire ranges make fashionably late appearances.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Amazon

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Via: Reuters

Source: Amazon

The tenth anniversary of the iTunes Store is looming on April 28th, and Apple wants to do more for the occasion than treat itself to a nice dinner. It just launched an interactive Decade of iTunes timeline (within iTunes itself, naturally) to remind us how far its music service has come since 2003. While the retrospective includes the expected sales milestones, media links and plugs for iPods, it's surprisingly detailed: you, too, can learn that Morcheeba rocked the album charts when iTunes reached Scandinavia. Apple has fiercer competition these days that not surprisingly goes unacknowledged, but it's good to have at least some context for Cupertino's more recent achievements. Catch a taste of that early iTunes Store vibe after the break.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Software, Apple

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Via: The Loop

Source: iTunes Store

After cluing us in on the state of its ever-stuffed coffers, Apple's given us a quick progress report on its App Store, noting that it's reached a total of 45 billion downloads -- a 5 billion jump since the end of its last quarter. Cook's crew also divulged that they've doled out $9 billion to developers who've sold their wares on the digital storefront, and they're paying out $1 billion every quarter. Cupertino gave a quick nod to iCloud too, revealing that the service now has 300 million users under its belt, 50 million more than it claimed at the end of the firm's last quarter. By the sounds of it, Apple's data centers are being put to good use.

Filed under: Apple

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Don't let the name fool ya -- "WhereverTV" wasn't on any iOS devices until this morning when the Neuros-powered streaming global television service got an App Store launch. It's intended for a wide variety of iOS devices -- the iPhone 3GS through the 5, as well as iPod Touches and iPads running iOS 4.3 or newer -- and offers access to WhereverTV free international TV streaming options, as well as paid options for Greek, Moroccan, and Arabic programming (the app's been available on Android devices for some time now).

Users aren't limited by connection, either, as even 3G signal is supported by the app; of course, we wouldn't suggest you go depending on that option, but it will function should you try. WhereverTV is also promising updates in the future, such as DVR scheduling and playback, as well as more free channels. That is, in addition to the company's ongoing quest to make good on its name.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes