Buying software in a box is so 2010: Apple said Monday that more than 100 million computer apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store in less than a year.
Following the success of its popular App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Apple launched the Mac App Store Jan. 6.
"In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing in a statement. “With more than 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store is the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world.”
Users have downloaded more than 18 billion apps from the App Store, which Apple started in 2008, and now has more than 1 billions apps per month downloaded, Apple said.
The Android Market — which followed Apple's move to mobile and Wi-Fi downloads — recently crossed the 10 billion mark for downloads.
Microsoft will be following suit with its own app store for Windows 8, the next version of its operating system. And the company already sells many of its popular software programs, including Office, via download. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.)
So clear out the boxes — and make space on your shelves. Boxed software is going the way of home phone: Once the norm, it will soon be the exception.
Related stories:
- Android Market hits 10 billion downloads
- Windows 8 will have its own app store
- Apple exceeds 10 billion apps downloaded
- Apple launches app store for Macs, a la iPhone
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