Apple's App Store quietly turned into a gold mine for developers and businesses in the last 5 years

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET The Apple App Store carries millions of applications for a range of different use cases and devices, meeting people's everyday needs, from entertainment to productivity. A new study shows that the developers behind the apps are also winning big. US developers' earnings The Apple-supported study, conducted by Professor Andrey Fradkin from Boston University Questrom School of Business and economist Jessica Burley, Ph.D., from Analysis Group, found that the US App Store ecosystem facilitated $406 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024. This amount reflects a doubling over the past five years, while the overall App Store ecosystem has tripled in the same period. Also: 6 things I did immediately after installing iOS 18.5 on my iPhone - and why you should too Apple said more than 90% of the billings and sales facilitated by the App Store did not have to pay Apple a commission. Since 2019, app-based spending on physical goods and services has more th ... Read full article.