Even though Android went on to become the world’s most popular smartphone OS in 2012, it was a great year for Apple and iOS as well. With over 500 million active accounts, the App Store saw nearly 20 billion downloads all through 2012, with 2 billion downloads happening in December alone. There are over 775,000 apps available on the App Store for iPads, iPhones, and the iPod touch, for which Apple has shelled out over $7 billion to the developers. One of the most popular downloads of 2012 was Imangi Studios’ Temple Run, which was downloaded over 75 million times last year. According to Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi Studios, “The success of our game Temple Run in 2012 was nothing short of astonishing. We were simply looking to create a game that was fun and easy to play, but once it hit the App Store, the game took off.” Backflip Studios and Supercell also raked in over $100 million for their popular games Dragonvale and Clash of Clans. Popular services apps on the App Store included Uber, Flipboard, HotelTonight, AirBnB, etc., registering over a million downloads. Many companies like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Autodesk, Marvel, increased their focus on creating more iOS apps. Samir Hanna, Vice President – Consumer Products at Autodesk, remarks “We set off with the modest goal of bringing SketchBook to iPhone users as a way of introducing them to Autodesk. Fast forward three years, we now offer 20 apps to iOS users that have achieved more than 50 million downloads, and we continue to roll out new creativity and design tools that appeal to both professionals and consumers.”
