Apple App Store customers spent an amazing $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
As the world navigated an ever-changing new normal of virtual learning, grocery deliveries, and drive-by birthday celebrations, customers relied on Apple services in new ways, turning to expertly curated apps, news, music, podcasts, TV shows, movies, and more to stay entertained, informed, connected, and fit.
“Now more than ever before, customers around the world have found inspiration and value in the breadth and quality of Apple’s services, which have impacted their lives in big and small ways every day,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re incredibly optimistic about where we’re headed, and we believe that the opportunities for developers and the creative community are endless, as are the positive and meaningful benefits to our customers.”
In a year like none other, apps have become more essential than ever. Developers found new ways to keep people connected, help them learn and work from home, stay fit and well, and provide much-needed entertainment. As a result of their efforts, developers selling digital goods and services — which is only a small fraction of the overall commerce the App Store facilitates — have now earned more than $200 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.
The trend continued over the holiday season, with App Store customers spending $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, driven largely by spending on games. Customers ushered in 2021 by setting a new single-day spending record of over $540 million on New Year’s Day.
Apple Music had a record year as people around the world spent more time discovering and engaging with music. Apple Music offers more than 70 million songs, thousands of curated playlists, and more than 25,000 exclusive radio episodes and other original content.
Apple Music is streaming seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Watch, and iPod touch, as well as on popular smart TVs, smart speakers, Android and Windows devices, and online at music.apple.com. The all-new Apple Music TV, streaming music videos 24/7, is also available on the Apple TV app in the US. And with the addition of 52 new territories, Apple Music brought music to more places around the world than ever before.
In 2020, the Apple TV app launched on select LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles, adding to its extensive reach that already includes Apple devices, Samsung smart TVs, Roku players, and Amazon Fire TV. Now available on over 1 billion screens in over 100 countries and regions, the Apple TV app brings together the different ways to discover and watch shows, movies, and more in one app.
Since its global launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ has been honored with 159 awards nominations and 45 wins and accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, Daytime Emmy Awards, a SAG Award, an NAACP Image Award, a Peabody Award, Critics Choice Award, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Cinema Eye Award, Kidscreen Awards, and more.
Apple TV+ has sparked global conversations with its critically acclaimed dramas, comedies, feature films, and documentaries. Apple Originals have seen record viewership for Apple TV+ and have been featured across numerous “Best of 2020” lists, with top critics hailing “Ted Lasso,” “The Morning Show,” “Tehran,” “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet,” “On the Rocks,” “Beastie Boys Story,” “Wolfwalkers,” “Boys State,” “Little America,” “Visible: Out on Television,” “Trying,” and more among the best TV shows and films of 2020.
Apple TV+ was also one of the first platforms to deliver relevant, thoughtful stories to customers consistently as the world came to a standstill in 2020. “Mythic Quest: Quarantine” has been hailed as a “masterpiece,” and new series such as “Oprah Talks COVID-19,” “Fraggle Rock: Rock On!,” and “Helpsters Help You” entertained and brought important information to families as they stayed at home.
Looking ahead to early 2021, customers can enjoy second seasons of Apple Originals “Dickinson,” “Servant,” and “For All Mankind,” as well as new series “Losing Alice,” and highly anticipated films “Palmer” and “Cherry,” and the documentary, “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.” Throughout the year, Apple TV+ will also premiere new stories from the world’s biggest storytellers, including “The Mosquito Coast,” “Lisey’s Story,” “Foundation,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Severance,” and “Pachinko,” as well as new seasons of returning favorites like “The Morning Show” and “See.”
As the new year kicks off, customers are finding inspiration to embrace their health resolutions and move more with Fitness+. Whether they’re jumpstarting a fresh fitness routine or mixing up their current workouts, Fitness+, the first fitness service built around Apple Watch, brings studio-style workouts to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, making it easier for users to get started with a workout and close their rings any time, anywhere. The intelligent and seamless integration of key workout metrics users love from Apple Watch and the motivating music from top artists keep users inspired through every workout. Best of all, Fitness+ offers workouts for everyone from a team of celebrated, charismatic, diverse, and passionate trainers who are specialists in their fields, and are inspired to coach all levels, from beginners to fitness enthusiasts.
Apple Pay is the easier and safer way to pay in stores using just an iPhone or Apple Watch, and now, more than 90 percent of stores in the US, 85 percent of stores in the UK, and 99 percent of stores in Australia accept Apple Pay, so customers can leave their physical cards at home. With shopping increasingly moving online, Apple Pay also provides the fastest and most secure way to order online.
In 2020, the award-winning game subscription service Apple Arcade proved to be a fun and safe platform for families around the world looking for interactive entertainment. Apple Arcade brings together more than 140 of the world’s best mobile games, with individual titles earning more than 50 awards and nominations. With a single subscription, a family of up to six people can enjoy unlimited access to all the games in Apple Arcade on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, all without any ads or additional in-app purchases. The ever-growing catalogue includes exclusives from popular brands such as “LEGO Brawls,” “Sonic Racing,” “Crossy Road Castle,” and “SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit,” as well as Arcade originals like “Grindstone,” “What the Golf?,” and “Little Orpheus.”
Customers can easily enjoy ebooks and audiobooks from Apple Books on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and listen to their audiobook library on Apple Watch and in their cars with CarPlay. As digital book-buying boomed in 2020 with more people trying ebooks and audiobooks for the first time, Apple Books saw remarkable growth in new customers and now draws over 90 million monthly active users. In 2020, Apple Books also saw strong growth across several genres, including double-digit increases in escapist fare like Mysteries & Thrillers and Romance, as well as even bigger surges in downloads for Kids, Comics & Graphic Novels, and Cookbooks, Food & Wine. Customers can also enjoy the 1,000 Free Books collection on Apple Books, which is refreshed twice weekly. Also in 2020, Apple Books for Authors launched, offering helpful resources on writing, publishing, selling, and marketing books on Apple Books, and further cementing Apple’s position as the industry’s friendliest platform for both independent authors and major publishers.
Throughout 2020, listeners turned to Apple Podcasts to help make sense of the moment. With gripping stories and fresh perspectives, podcasts played an especially meaningful role in customers’ lives by helping them stay informed, educated, and inspired. Now in over 175 countries with programming in more than 100 languages, and available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod and other smart speakers, Apple Podcasts is the best place for listeners to discover and enjoy their favorite shows, and for creators to share their voice with the world.
iCloud powers a seamless experience in keeping a customer’s photos, videos, files, notes, and other important data safe, up to date, and available across all their devices. More than 85 percent of iCloud users are protected with two-factor authentication, an extra layer of security designed to ensure that no one else can access their accounts or data. Sign in with Apple provides a fast, secure, and more private way for users to sign in to third-party apps and websites. And with Family Sharing, up to six family members can share access to a single iCloud storage plan, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+, or bundle it all together with a subscription to Apple One. Family Sharing also allows family members to share individual music, movie, TV, book, and app purchases.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously 2020 was a banner year for Apple Services, many of which are primed for even bigger and better things in 2021!
So Tim Cook’s Apple won Christmas. No surprise there.
As did Warnock and Ossoff in Georgia…
And no surprise there either.
Winning is fun.
Sounds like you might be the prefer equity, vs equality framework (ask Kamala). When it really gets moving that way, please report back how that type of “winning” suits you. State-ism’s grasp comes upon culture like the frog unaware of the rising temp in a boiling pot.
Apple stock may have hit a roadblock for a short time, but I’m sure the earnings report will be good and the stock will continue to climb. Apple appears to have several alternate revenue streams working for them to offset any major iPhone sales losses. Apple is doing just fine, no matter what the stock indicates. I’m certain Apple will continue to do well in 2021. People may criticize Tim Cook for not doing a good job, but I’m satisfied and I think he’s doing as well as any CEO could. I think he earned his money.
IMHO, being worried by, or trying to rationalize AAPL day-to-day drops, can be a pleasing puzzle to solve, but weeks/months later, I assert AAPL will be higher. I would say this for one reason…govt infusions are going to continue strong with the Biden admin…maybe even more robustly.
Couple this tailwind with AAPL inertia…which is incredibly strong. Look at the line-up…the usuals, but also new/fairly new releases…chips, cans and phones…all robust and favored (news). The car has new energy.
I expect a very, very healthy ’21…hopefully into ’22.