App Store Sees Record-Breaking $300 Million in Purchases on New Year's Day

The App Store had a record-breaking holiday season according to a new press release issued by Apple this afternoon. During the week starting on Christmas Eve, a record number of customers made App Store purchases, spending more than $890 million in that seven-day period.

On New Year's Day 2018 alone, customers made $300 million in purchases. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said the company is "thrilled" with the reaction to the revamped App Store that was introduced as part of iOS 11.

appleappstore

"We are thrilled with the reaction to the new App Store and to see so many customers discovering and enjoying new apps and games," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We want to thank all of the creative app developers who have made these great apps and helped to change people's lives. In 2017 alone, iOS developers earned $26.5 billion -- more than a 30 percent increase over 2016."

According to Apple, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go topped the App Store charts on December 21 after new AR features were introduced. Apple says there are close to 2,000 ARKit-enabled apps on the App Store, with popular titles including CSR Racing 2, Stack AR, Kings of Pool, Amazon, Wayfair, Night Sky, Pitu, and Snapchat.

Apple's ARKit mention comes following a report that has suggested interest in ARKit apps is waning. App Store data shared yesterday by Apptopia suggests developers have been releasing fewer ARKit-compatible apps over the course of the last two months.

Apple in iOS 11 introduced a new App Store that separates apps and games into distinct categories for improved app discovery. The redesigned App Store also features a "Today" section that's updated on a daily basis with new and popular apps and games.

Popular Stories

apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
prioritize notifications ios 18 4

Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1

Friday February 21, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most...
Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
ios 18 4 ambient music

iOS 18.4 Adds New Ambient Music Feature

Friday February 21, 2025 11:06 am PST by
In iOS 18.4, there's a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category. You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Denies Speculation Surrounding iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 21, 2025 8:01 am PST by
Apple has confirmed that its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e has nothing to do with the device's lack of MagSafe support, according to Macworld. Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, there was some speculation online about how MagSafe magnets might have interfered with the C1 modem's cellular connectivity performance, and this was considered to be a potential reason for the...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches in Europe and Asia

Thursday February 20, 2025 8:55 am PST by
Oppo has launched the Find N5, the world's thinnest foldable phone yet. When closed, the book-style foldable measures 8.93mm. That's less than a millimeter thicker than an iPhone 16 Pro, and thinner than the Honor Magic V3, which was the previous record holder. The device is barely thicker than its USB-C port. Indeed, Oppo has suggested that the obstacle to making it any thinner is now "the...

Top Rated Comments

lincolntran Avatar
93 months ago
Meanwhile, on other app stores....




Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
93 months ago
considering that a lot of apps are unnecessarily turning into the subscription model, this isn't surprising.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BODYBUILDERPAUL Avatar
93 months ago
2012 was the last time that I bought an app :) :) :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apolloa Avatar
93 months ago
Well that’s 90 million $ for Apple in one day..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
93 months ago
Let that sink in for a moment: $890M in seven days.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
93 months ago
Those are insane numbers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)