A customer came out after taking over the new Apple 5G iPhone 12 that went on sale because coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues at an Apple store in Brooklyn, New York, on October 23, 2020.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Apple customers in the App Store spent a record $ 540 million on New Year’s Day alone, up 40 percent from last year, the company said Wednesday in its annual service report.
In addition, Apple announced that it generated $ 1.8 billion in digital goods sales from the App Store in the week between Christmas Eve and now has 90 million monthly active users for its Apple Books app.
But the report did not provide subscriber updates for its suite of newer subscription products, such as Apple TV + (streaming video), Apple Music and Apple Fitness + (a Peloton competitor). In the fall, Apple began bundling many of its subscription services as part of its Apple One program. The Services category is a key area of growth that Apple has focused on in recent years, as hardware sales have fallen.
The Apple App Store update also comes as tensions continue to rise over Apple’s control over its App Store policies. Several app developers, especially Facebook and Fortnite Epic Games maker, have publicly criticized Apple for slashing App Store sales by 30% and for implementing a new policy to reveal which apps track your advertising directed. Apple recently changed its policies to reduce a 15% discount from companies that generate less than $ 1 million in App Store sales, which the company said is a move to help small businesses.
Overall, Apple’s services generated revenue of $ 53.8 billion in the company’s last fiscal year, which ended in September 2021. Apple is expected to report its first-quarter tax gains in a few weeks.
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