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Steve Job is set to be back at work in June. Apple has reaped $8.16 billion in revenue for its fiscal 2009 second quarter and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion due to higher sales. And the iTunes App store has crossed its one billion downloads mark.
Things at Cupertino can't seem to get better.
While the California labs can take much of the credit for success, some of it also goes to folks like you.
International sales made up 46 percent of the revenue, with iPods being the hot-sellers with some 11.01 million snapped up and, surprise! surpise!! the iPhone which saw a 123 percent leap in sales.
While those numbers make the one billion app downloads understandable, it doesn’t explain the phenomena.
"In nine months, the App Store has completely revolutionized the mobile industry and this is only the beginning" said Apple’s Philip Schiller recently.
The Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apple was putting it mildly.
There is no doubt - apps are the next big thing from Apple.
Already others have followed suit, with different names and similar modes of operation, but there really isn’t anything like an Apple app.
The App Store which has made killing time both more fun and useful for users while opening up new avenues for the creative and enterprising only opened in July 2008.
The ability to generate a billion downloads in under a year can only mean the stuff available at the App Store is great.
To date, the App Store which is accessed via iTunes has more than 35,000 applications and is available to iPhone and iPod touch users in 77 countries.
Some apps can cost as much as US$49.99 but fortunately, most apps come in at US$0.99 or free, which is everyone’s favourite category.
The best part is, free doesn’t mean useless, frivolous or bug-filled downloads.
The international Apple team who have come up with a list of the All Time Top Apps in the billion download countdown, name Facebook, Free Translator, Flashlight, Pac Man Lite and Crazy Penguin among the favourite freebies.
This comes as no surprise since most of the apps in the virtual hall of fame also exist on my device, with the highly addictive and funny Crazy Penguin being a favourite.
Most of these apps can be found under the Free Apps category or you can browse through the list of categories from reference to books, education and news.
It's easy to run into pages of downloads with even a free text copy of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on my device for the timess I want to do something other than play a game when filling time without any connectivity.
If my device picks up a wireless connection, the app of choice is the Channel NewsAsia app.
Before you accuse me of having a bias, please note, the app went to number 1 on the day of its launch on 1 March and stayed there for many weeks.
The Channel NewsAsia app still ranks high on the top 10 News apps in Singapore and also tops the News app rankings on App Stores around Asia, including Indonesia, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
“Fantastic”, “Best app so far” and “Awesome” were just some of the ways users chose to describe the Channel NewsAsia app which offers a wide range of news, from Singapore to Latest News, World News, Business News and Sports News.
Among the 52 reviews posted by users who downloaded the app, most loved the news video clips available daily.
It was probably the first Singapore app offering videos which are long enough to get the necessary points without overloading your handheld system.
The thing about video is that it is best viewed over a wireless system rather than on 3G because for one, the streaming will be smoother and the other is of course, data charges which will be higher once you download clips that run for 5 minutes or more as some other sites are offering.
What the apps and App Store have also shown is that in Singapore, there is no lack of creativity despite what some may believe or say.
To be an app developer, it doesn’t matter whether you're a rocket scientist or a kid, like the Singapore school boy who created Doodlekids for his little sister.
With just a small fee anyone can develop an app and post it on the App Store, either locally or worldwide.
Some noteworthy apps with the Made in Singapore label include the magical illuCoin app and the funny Pee Monkey Toilet trainer.
There’s also the useful SG Transport app for those times when you want to catch a bus or MRT, or Trafficam SG which tells you the condition of roads and expressways before you land in a jam, and buUuk that offers to find a place to eat since food is always important to Singaporeans.
Another typically Singaporean facet that has found its way onto the App Store is 4D SG, to check if you have that winning lottery ticket so you can go out and buy more Mac stuff and apps!
Talking about more apps, the App store hit its one billon app download recently thanks to a 13 year old - which just tells us once again, that the young rule the world of tech and its future.
The prize for being the multi-digit downloader was a host of Apple giveaways including a $10,000 iTunes gift card - - that’s definitely more downloads in addition to the one he was getting when it hit the jackpot.
The app in question, if you’re curious, is Bump which as its name states, allows a person to bump his iPhone/iPod Touch with another similar device to exchange contact information. Did I also mention apps, are really cool?
Come June, there will a new operating system that will translate into even more apps for users and refinements to existing ones.
That means, more happy app users and converts, which should mean a very happy day back at his Cupertino desk for Steve Jobs, all in the month of June.
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