Concept

App Store (iOS/iPadOS)

Summary
The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple Inc., for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps. The App Store was opened on July 10, 2008, with an initial 500 applications available. The number of apps peaked at around 2.2 million in 2017, but declined slightly over the next few years as Apple began a process to remove old or 32-bit apps. , the store features more than 1.8 million apps. While Apple touts the role of the App Store in creating new jobs in the "app economy" and claims to have paid over $155 billion to developers, the App Store has also attracted criticism from developers and government regulators that it operates a monopoly and that Apple's 30% cut of revenues from the store is excessive. In October 2021, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) concluded that in-app commissions from Apple’s App Store are anti-competitive and would demand that Apple change its in-app payment system policies. While originally developing iPhone prior to its unveiling in 2007, Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs did not intend to let third-party developers build native apps for iOS, instead directing them to make web applications for the Safari web browser. However, backlash from developers prompted the company to reconsider, with Jobs announcing in October 2007 that Apple would have a software development kit available for developers by February 2008. The SDK was released on March 6, 2008. The iPhone App Store opened on July 10, 2008. On July 11, the iPhone 3G was released and came pre-loaded with support for App Store. Initially apps could be free or paid, but then in 2009, Apple added the ability to add in-app purchases which quickly became the dominant way to monetize apps, especially games.
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