Apple has paid out $8 billion to developers, an increase of $1b since January

Apple has announced it has paid out a total of $8 billion to developers since the inauguration of the App Store in 2009.

This is an increase of $1b since January 13th, when Apple last reported the numbers, and a milestone for an industry that increasingly relies on developer interest to beckon customers to a particular platform. While Android has proven successful for developers in usage numbers, recent statistics cite iOS developers as earning four times the amount, on average, for paid apps.

The numbers between the two ecosystems are reaching parity, with iOS announcing 775,000 apps and Android close behind with between 625,000 and 750,000 depending on the source, but there is a preponderance of free apps on Google Play which rely on advertising.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, cited these numbers during an address this morning at a Goldman Sachs conference. He also spoke to rumours of a low-cost iPhone, saying that “the only thing we’ll never do is make a crappy product. That’s the only religion we have: we must do something great.” In other words, don’t expect an iPhone mini made of plastic.

Source: TheNextWeb, Venturebeat