• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, January 5, 2017

Last year, App Store developers earned over $20 billion -- up more than 40% from 2015 -- according to fresh figures from Apple.

That brings the total amount that developers have earned since the App Store’s debut in 2008 to around $60 billion.

Yet, potentially overshadowing these impressive numbers, The New York Times is reporting that Apple recently removed its app from the App Store in China in compliance with a request from government authorities.

Confirming the story, an Apple spokesman said the app was removed from the App Store because it had not been “permitted to display content to most users in China” for some time, and the company was informed that the app was in violation of “local regulations.”

The decision clearly raises ethical issues, and calls Apple’s priorities into question.

This past holiday season, meanwhile, customers broke all-time records with purchases from theApp Store surpassing $3 billion in December.

In the same month, Nintendo’s Super Mario Run made history with more than 40 million downloads in just four days after its release -- making it the most downloaded app globally on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Worldwide, Super Mario Run is among last year’s Top 10 most downloaded apps, with Pokémon Go taking the top spot.

While China experienced record year-over-year growth of 90%, the United States remains the App Store’s top growing market.

Of note, the App Store now offers 2.2 million apps -- up more than 20%, year-over-year.