iPad app downloads top 12 million in first month

Apple announced sales of its iPad tablet surpassed the 1 million benchmark on Apr. 30, four weeks after the device first went on sale in the U.S. and less than half of the 74 days required to sell the first million iPhone units. Consumers have now downloaded more than 12 million iPad applications from Apple's App Store, as well over 1.5 million ebook titles from the new iBookstore. Apple notes that developers have created over 5,000 new applications expressly for the iPad--the device also runs almost all of the App Store's 200,000-plus applications for the iPhone and iPod touch.

According to data compiled by app store analytics firm Distimo, Games represents the dominant iPad app category, making up 32 percent of available app, followed by Entertainment and Books. Distimo reports that 80 percent of all iPad applications fall into the Paid Apps segment--by comparison, 73 percent of iPhone and iPod touch applications carry premium price tags. The average iPad app costs $4.67, as opposed to $3.82 on iPhone--Medical apps for iPad lead the way at an average price of $42.11, followed by Finance apps at $18.48. On the iPhone, Medical apps average $10.74, and Finance apps average $5.74.

For more on the iPad sales milestone:
- read this release

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