Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone software store contributes next to nothing to the company's revenue. Yet, the digital bazaar continues to prove a key weapon keeping Apple's iPhone atop a growing number of smartphone rivals.
Since it opened 10 months ago, the App Store has been a runaway hit selling a host of software that turn the smartphone into everything from a carpenter's level to a virtual change purse. Any day now, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer company is expected to announce total downloads have surpassed 1 billion.
The App Store shows no sign of letting up. That, analysts say, is key to the iPhone retaining its popularity with consumers, even as a host of new competitors are readied for market. "They are little value enhancers," Gartner analyst Mike McGuire said of the downloads. They are why "Apple is the platform of choice" in the consumer smartphone area, he added.
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