The iPhone was a runaway hit, but not content to rest on its laurels, Apple released the App Store, a new service designed specifically for iPhone and iPod touch users. The App Store is a catalog of all of the applications developers have created for the iPhone and the iPod touch. Part of the iTunes Store, the App Store allows customers to browse through the available applications and download them to their devices.
The App Store had the intended affect. Not only did it make acquiring applications for the iPhone easy, it also became a showcase for developers, who flocked to the store to sell their wares. This led to more apps being created, and Apple ended up with a rich catalog of applications that help set the iPhone apart from other smartphones.
When Apple announced the App Store in early July, there were 500 apps listed. By the end of the year, the number of apps had expanded to 10,000. By Macworld 2009 in January, the numbers had jumped to 15,000 apps with 500,000,000 downloads. By the end of November 2009, there were more than 100,000 apps available, and downloads had passed the 2 billion mark.
Apple's Decade: 2008
New Macintosh products introduced by Apple in 2008.
The specs below were the base specification; many Macs shipped with upgrades to these specs.
MacBook (Core 2 Duo): 2.1/2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive
MacBook (Unibody): 2.1/2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive
MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo): 2.4/2.5 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB hard drive
MacBook Pro (Unibody): 2.4/2.53 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive
MacBook Air: 1.6/1.83 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive
iMac (Aluminum): 2.66/2.8/3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive
Mac Pro (Eight Core): 2x2.8 GHz Intel Xeon E5463 processors, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive
Apple News: 2008
Apple announces the iPhone 3G, which offered the fastest connectivity from an iPhone to date.
Apple introduces the App Store, an easy way to purchase and download applications for the iPhone and iPod touch.
In Other News: 2008
Barack Obama wins U.S. presidential election, becomes President-Elect.
Economic crisis hits U.S.; government moves to bail out key companies and banks.
