Apple App Store Celeberates 1.5 Billion iPhone Apps Downloaded

Apple on Tuesday said its App Store has sold over 1.5 billion iPhone apps so far.

The company said it reached that milestone a mere one year since the App Store was opened. In that time, more than 100,000 developers have built more than 65,000 apps that are available for download into the iPhone and the iTouch. Between the two, Apple has sold more than 40 million of the devices.

The App Store currently serves customers in 77 countries around the world.

The speed at which Apple reached the 1.5 billion milestone is especially fast, considering that it probably doesn't even count the sales of some apps that Apple rejected.

Often forgotten in App Store's success are some of the rejects. Remember them? Apps like Wrangler, a way to handle Gmail accounts? Netshare, which tethered the iPhone to a PC? Obama Trampoline, which let people bounce the heads of U.S. politicians up and down to pop bubbles? South Park, which was great for offending people? I Am Rich, a quick method for throwing away about $1,000 for absolutely no discernible reason?

OK, that 1.5 billion figure might include the eight copies of the I Am Rich application that were sold before Apple removed it from the App Store.

It might also include sales of Hottest Girls, which would let on-the-go consumers who might otherwise not have access to photos of the scantily clad. Or sales of Me So Holy, which let people superimpose other faces on an image of Jesus Christ.

Apple in its press release about selling 1.5 billion apps at the App Store did not break down the numbers, so it is not clear whether those apps counted in the total.