People Spent an Insane Amount of Money on Apps This Year
Apple users broke App Store records by spending more than 1.1 billion on apps and in-app purchases this holiday season, the company said Wednesday. That figure includes money spent during the two week period ending on Jan. 3. New Year's Day was the biggest day in App Store history, with more than 144 million spent in the 24-hour period. Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president who now leads the App Store, said that Apple device users spent more than 20 billion in the App Store throughout all of 2015. That's double the 2013 figure. Games such as Clash of Clans and paid video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu were among the highest grossing apps of 2015. Apple is now busy expanding the App Store to new platforms, like the Apple TV. The early crop of Apple TV apps already provide some insight as to how apps behave differently on the TV versus the phone. Fitness app DailyBurn is launching a new workout show just for the Apple TV that allows participants to ask questions in real time. Vacation rental app HomeAway will allow renters to display useful information on the TV for their guests, such as wi-fi passwords and restaurant recommendations.