Apple close to one billionth App Store app served

Today, Apple created a Countdown webpage which indicates how many Apple App Store apps have been served. As of the time of this writing, it's at 928.7 million, and is expected to reach the one billion mark soon. To commemorate the milestone, Apple has created a Billion App Countdown Promotion whereby gifts will be awarded to the person who downloads the one billionth app.

To enter the competition, simply download an app, or visit the Billion App Countdown Website and click the Enter to win without purchase link, along with Apple's official contest rules. Limited to 25 entries per person per day. Prizes include a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule and a MacBook Pro.


Apple has also listed the all-time top 20 apps. They are:

TOP 20 PAID APPS:

1) Crash Bandicoot Nitro, $5.99, Vivendi Games Mobile
2) Koi Pond, $0.99, The Blimp Pilots
3) Enigmo, $3.99, Pangea Software, Inc.
4) Bejeweled 2, $2.99, PopCap Games, Inc.
5) iBeer (5 drinks...), $1.99, Hottrix
6) Moto Chaser, $1.99, Freeverse, Inc.
7) PocketGuitar, $0.99, Shinya Kasatani
8) Flick Fishing, $0.99, Freeverse, Inc.
9) Tetris, $4.99, Electronic Arts
10) Texas Hold'em, $4.99, Apple, Inc.
11) Super Monkey Ball, $5.99, SEGA
12) Pocket God, $0.99, Bolt Creative
13) Cro-Mag Rally, $0.99, Pangea Software, Inc.
14) Ocarina, $0.99, Smule
15) Fieldrunners, $2.99, Subatomic Studios, LLC
16) iFart Mobile, $0.99, InfoMedia, Inc.
17) Touchgrind, $4.99, Illusion Labs
18) iHunt, $0.99, JOHN MOFFETT
19) iShoot, $1.99, Ethan Nicholas
20) Monopoly, $4.99, Electronic Arts
TOP 20 FREE APPS:

1) Facebook, Facebook
2) Google Earth, Google
3) Pandora Radio, Pandora Media, Inc.
4) Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous
5) Shazam, Shazam Entertainment Ltd
6) PAC-MAN Lite, Namco Networks America
7) Backgrounds, Stylem Media
8) Touch Hockey: FS5, FlipSide5, Inc.
9) Labryinth Lite Edition, Codify AB
10) Flashlight, John Haney Software
11) Urbanspoon, Urbanspoon
12) Movies, Flixster
13) iBowl, SGN
14) Lightsaber Unleashed, TheMacBox
15) Sol Free Solitaire, Smallware
16) MySpace Mobile, MySpace.com
17) Virtual Zippo Lighter, Moderati
18) The Weather Channel, The Weather Channel International
19) BubbleWrap, Orsome
20) Remote, Apple Inc.

Apple retains 30% of every sale made, to cover the cost of running the App Store, processing payments, and distributing software. It is estimated that over 30,000 applications now exist on the App Store.

Opinion

Buy an expensive iPhone, pay a huge monthly service fee, then buy $6 applications on top of it ... not for me. Sorry, Charlie! :) Still, I'm sure with such a promotion Apple will make far more than $10,000 and the cost of the other equipment. Ah, Corporate America, gotta love it?