• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, June 1, 2018

Fast approaching its 10^th anniversary, Apple’s App Store appears to be stronger than ever.

Over the past decade, the app platform has generated more than $130 billion, according to a new report from App Annie. Despite a lower device install base than arch rival Google Play, the iOS App Store currently generates nearly twice as much consumer spend.

As has historically been the case, gaming continues to drive the App Store’s big numbers. In fact, while the app category only accounts for 35% of all downloads, it makes up a whopping 75% of all consumer spending.

Over the past decade, Apple’s app platform has played host to over 4.5 million individual apps. All together, they have been downloaded more than 170 billion times. As of May, more than 2 million apps could be found in the App Store.

Among those millions of apps, around 10,000 have generated more than $1 million, App Annie calculates.

Year after year, the Asian-Pacific region (or APAC) continues to make up a larger share the App Store’s downloads and consumer spending.

In 2017, the APAC market made up 49% of the App Store’s downloads (compared to just 30% in 2011). By contrast, the Americas made up 26% of downloads, while the EMEA market (which lumps together Europe, the Middle East and Africa) made up another 26%.

Ever more impressive, APAC made up 59% of all consumer spending on the App Store, in 2017 (compared to just 23% in 2011). That year, the Americas made up 27% of spending, while the EMEA market made up 14%.

For better or worse, iPhone owners around the world are now swimming in apps. On average, these users have more than 100 apps installed on their devices, while they use over 40 each month. These averages were comparable to those among U.S. consumers. 

Putting Apple’s app business in an even brighter light, App Annie’s estimates are extremely conservative. That’s because the data firm wasn’t founded until 2010, while the App Store first opened in 2008.