Apple Mum on Reports of Echo-Like Siri-Based Speaker, Before Conference
As media reports swirled Thursday about the prospect of Apple launching an Echo-like music speaker based on the Siri digital assistant at its Worldwide Developers Conference starting Monday, Apple instead focused on promoting revenue gains from its app business. A…
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Thursday news release said its app developers have brought in more than $70 billion from the App Store since it launched in 2008. The App Store’s active paid subscriptions are up 58 percent year over year, and the subscription business model is available to developers across 25 app categories, Apple said. It highlighted popular apps, including Netflix and Hulu for video streaming, the mobile-first Tastemade cooking network, and photo editing apps Over and Enlight. Developers create apps for customers in 155 countries, with gaming and entertainment top-grossing categories, Apple said. Lifestyle and health and fitness apps had 70 percent growth in gross earnings in the past year, and photo and video apps jumped 90 percent during the period, it said. Downloads have grown more than 70 percent in the past 12 months, Apple said, with “hit” apps including Pokemon Go, Super Mario Run, CancerAid, Space by Thix, Zones for Training with Exercise Intensity, Vanido, Ace Tennis and Havenly, it said. The company didn't comment on reports of a Siri-based speaker.