Apple has released a summary of the results of its services and how they have “enriched” users’ lives over the past year. This includes data that developers have generated for apps for Apple systems that have generated approximately $60 billion in revenue over the past 12 months.
Despite several antitrust lawsuits and stricter regulations in some markets, Apple recently released new data about the record growth of the App Store in 2021. The company said in a press release that it has paid more app developers since the App Store opened in 2008. more than a dollar. 260 billion. This means that in 2021 alone, Apple paid developers at least $60 billion.
This number is much higher than the payments reported in previous years.
By comparison, by the end of 2019, Apple had paid developers a total of $155 billion since the App Store went live. In the previous year, this figure was about 120 billion dollars. If we read between the lines, it means that payments to developers increased by $35 million between 2018 and 2019, and by another $45 billion between 2019 and 2020.
Unfortunately, the amount of payments announced by Apple no longer helps explain the overall financial situation in the App Store, as the percentages paid by individual apps vary.
In recent years, Apple has adjusted its fee structure and reduced its share of developer revenue due to increased regulatory oversight of the App Store’s business practices, and antitrust lawsuits – including the current case with Epic Games, which is currently pending.
With the introduction of Apple’s Small Business Program, released in November 2020, the company lowered fees for eligible applications (those that earn up to $1 million annually) from 30% to 15%. In 2021, Apple also eliminated app commissions for select news publishers if they chose to participate in the Apple News Partner Program. Apple didn’t say how many developers and publishers had actually taken advantage of these opportunities, but said that the “vast majority” of apps would be eligible for the small business discount.
The company noted that App Store customers spent “more than ever” between Christmas and New Year 2021, a double over last year.
Apple has not provided any specific numbers to document this achievement, as it did last year when it reported that consumers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services in the week between Christmas and New Year 2020, mostly on games.
For Apple, 2021 is a transitional year
The data presented in this article comes after a fleeting year for the App Store.
The company has faced increasing pressure from developers due to the App Store scams that have become the subject of congressional hearings. Some application review procedures are still in progress. Apple was ordered to change the App Store this year due to an Epic lawsuit, which would have allowed links to third-party payment options, but the court order was later adjourned at the last minute while an appeal was filed in the case. Apple was forced to relinquish control of the App Store in other markets, such as Japan and South Korea, as regulators forced it to allow links to external sites and take other measures to limit commissions.
2021 is a successful year for other Apple services too
In addition to the App Store data, Apple also provided data on its other services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, Apple Pay and Wallet, Apple Maps, and iCloud +.
Arcade now offers more than 200 games, Apple Music has more than 90 million songs, Apple TV + has received 190 industry awards, Apple Fitness + includes nearly 2,000 workouts, and Apple News remains the number one news app wherever available, Apple Pay It reached nearly 60 countries and regions, and customers used 30 million NFC tickets through Apple Wallet in 2021.