Apple App Sales Hit $10 Billion; December 2013 Best Month In App Store's History

Apple grossed more than $10 billion on its online marketplace, with the App Store gaining an incredible $1 billion in December alone, making the final month of 2013 the most successful sales month in the App Store’s history. Apple also noted that developers have made over $15 billion on apps sold on the App Store.

“We’d like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The lineup of apps for the holiday season was astonishing, and we look forward to seeing what developers create in 2014.”

Games like "Candy Crush Saga" and "Minecraft: Pocket Edition" were major hits in 2013. "Candy Crush" is free to play and makes money through App purchases, while "Minecraft" came with a price tag of $6.99. But Apple made sure to highlight nongaming software as well, when the company announced its favorite apps available. "Duolingo," a free language learning app, was named as the best app overall by the company.

Other notable mentions this year included Ellen DeGeneres’ "Heads Up," ProtoGeo’s "Moves," Simon Filip’s "Afterlight" and Kevin Ng’s "Impossible Road." Apple named Disney’s iPad app "Disney Animated" Best iPad App of 2013. “This is the first time Disney has been awarded this commendation and the app was selected out of the 100,000 iPad apps launching on the App Store in 2013,” Disney stated.

Apple was quick to point out that its most recent mobile OS, iOS 7, helped developers worldwide create a better experience for users. “With the introduction of iOS 7, developers were able to create stunning apps that took advantage of the redesigned user interface and the more than 200 new features and APIs. Developers such as Evernote, Yahoo!, AirBnB, OpenTable, Tumblr, Pinterest and American Airlines reimagined the user experience, bringing content to the forefront while increasing the overall efficiency and performance of their apps,” said Apple.

The App Store sells in more than 155 countries worldwide, offering iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch customers over 1 million apps to choose from. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 24 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness, travel and kids.