themselves in ways that were, until a few short
years ago, virtually impossible...
JOB CREATION THROUGH
THE APP STORE
Apple has attributed the vast majority of the
2.4 million jobs its created to the booming
app economy. Last year, the App Store made
double the revenue of its rival, the Google
Play Store, with the worldwide Google Play
Store revenue reaching 24.8 billion last year,
up from $19.5 billion in 2017, compared with
Apple’s $46.6 billion, up from $38.7 billion.
What’s important to note is that the vast
majority of that revenue goes directly to
developers, with Apple taking just a ten to thirty
percent cut of profits. Indeed, Apple claims that
the App Store - available on iOS, macOS, iPadOS
and soon watchOS when the latest iteration
of the OS drops next month - is responsible for
1.9 million American jobs, up more than 325,000
in the last two years.
Of course, it’s impossible to say that Apple is
directly responsible for these jobs, as the firm
did not classify what constitutes as a “job”. A
developer might launch a viral gaming app
that attracts millions of users and generates
thousands of dollars from in-app purchases,
whilst another might launch a free app and
make $10 from advertising across the year and
still be considered an indirect Apple “employee”.
However the statistics were calculated, they’re
undeniably impressive and demonstrate the
immense power and potential of the App Store.
Over the past year, several states saw double-
digit growth, with a 43 percent increase in North