CUPERTINO, California — Apple celebrated its 10-year anniversary since introducing the App Store on July 10, 2008 with 500 apps — igniting a cultural, social and economic phenomenon that changed how people work, play, meet, travel and so much more.
The App Store provided a groundbreaking solution for developers to distribute their software and consumers to experience apps like never before.
Today, customers in 155 countries are visiting the App Store more often, staying longer and downloading and using more apps than ever before.
While there have been many notable moments since apps first came to iPhone and later iPad, the milestones and testimonials below reflect some of the most significant over the past 10 years — defining how the App Store democratized software distribution and transformed how we live every day.
“In its first decade, the App Store has surpassed all of our wildest expectations — from the innovative apps that developers have dreamed up, to the way customers have made apps part of their daily lives — and this is just the beginning, said Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Apple. “We could not be more proud of what developers have created and what the next 10 years have in store.”
Every year, Apple hosts thousands of software developers from all over the globe to talk about the latest developments in apps at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Starting in 2013, Apple awarded scholarships to about 150 students to attend, and by 2018, that number had grown to over 350 talented students and STEM organization members from 42 different countries. Scholarship winners receive a free ticket to the conference, along with lodging and a one-year Apple Developer Program membership. Past scholarship winners have started their own STEM non-profit organizations to encourage their peers to learn coding and created apps that are tackling issues such as mental health, safety and climate change.
Apple introduced the Everyone Can Code program in 2016 to encourage learning, writing and teaching code, and today it is available to tens of millions of students around the world who can learn code, problem solve and create apps that will transform the future. Also in 2016, Apple launched Swift Playgrounds, an innovative iPad app that brings real coding concepts to life with an interactive interface for students of all ages and beginners to explore working with Apple’s Swift coding language.
“There was an incredible sense of anticipation and excitement the day the App Store launched, and getting to see MLB At Bat listed among the first 500 apps, but we don’t think anyone realized then the immense impact these apps would have on the ways fans experience sports, said Chad Evans, Senior Vice President, Product Development, Major League Baseball. “We feel fortunate to be part of the historic growth of the App Store these last 10 years. It’s exciting to think what opportunities the next 10 will bring as we continue working with Apple to connect fans more closely to their favorite teams and the game of baseball.”
In 2017, Apple unveiled an all-new App Store, creating a daily destination with dedicated Games and Apps tabs for customers to find exactly what they are looking for or be inspired to try something new, and learn about the creators behind the apps they know and love. The App Store now sees 500 million weekly visitors who are spending more time discovering new apps than ever before, and hundreds of stories on the Today tab have been read by more than 1 million people.
