Mac App Store sees 1M+ downloads in 24 hours

The Mac App Store went live yesterday with 1,000 apps

A mere 24 hours after the Mac App Store opened for business with 1,000 apps on Thursday, January 6, the site has already topped more than one million downloads, Apple announced Friday morning.  The Mac App Store officially went live yesterday and is available as a software update for any Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

The Mac App Store allows Mac users to buy apps with one click through their iTunes accounts and install them instantly on their computer, rather than muddle with disks and other downloading hassles.

The App Store features free and paid apps in a wide range of categories, including education, productivity, games, graphics and design, lifestyles, utilities, and more.  Like the iTunes App Store, users can browse top paid and free apps, see user ratings and reviews, and check out staff picks.

“We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in the company’s announcement. “Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is.” 

While one million downloads in one day is impressive, it doesn’t match the downloading frenzy that the App Store for iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch saw back in 2008, with the launch of iPhone 3GS.  The App Store went live on Thursday, July 10, and over the course of one weekend, the store saw more than 10 million downloads (which translates to more than two million downloads per day).  By contrast, the iPhone 3GS sold one million units in that same weekend and it took 74 days to sell one million units of the original iPhone.

Still, one million downloads in 24 hours is nothing to sneeze at, considering more people own iPhones than Macs.  In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2010, the company sold 14.1 million iPhones and 4.19 million iPads, compared to 3.89 million Macs.

So what can developers expect from Mac App Store?  Developers set their own prices and can expect to keep 70% of the sales revenue, Apple said in its announcement.  Developers are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay for hosting, marketing, or credit card fees. 

Image source: Apple.com