Apple App Store customers spend almost US$2 billion over Christmas week, $540 million on New Year's Day alone

Apple had quite a merry Christmas thanks to App Store sales over Christmas week. Customers spent US$1.8 billion on the distribution platform between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Games, which Apple has invested heavily into over the past year, were the most-purchased apps. Free-to-play titles like Among Us and Roblox were leaders throughout 2020, and Apple’s Arcade gaming subscription service has been fairly well-received (although Apple did not release exact subscription or revenue numbers for the service).

Other winners for the year were apps like Zoom and Disney+. Considering the global pandemic that kept millions home around the world for weeks on end, the success of entertainment and teleconferencing apps is little surprise. 

Interestingly, Apple stated that New Year’s Day set a single-day spending record for the App Store. The company raked in over $540 million in revenue as people kicked off the New Year by purchasing iDevice software.

Apple reports that the App Store has earned developers “selling digital goods and services” over $200 billion since it launched in 2008. Considering Apple’s hefty 30% cut of total revenue, it’s estimated that the App Store has brought in over $85 billion in revenue for Apple over the past 12 years. 

Apple has stated that it will cut its share of revenue to 15% for developers that earn less than $1 million annually, which is part of its new App Store Small Business Program that started on January 1. 

What iOS apps did you buy in 2020? Let us know in the comments below.