AppFigures, a research company that analyzes the number of app sales, detailed the promising success registered by the Apple TV App Store.
The report counted no less than 2,624 apps available for download for the set-top box manufactured by Apple. The latest Apple TV launched at the end October, and its number of apps accelerated. One week after its release, 1,000 apps were already uploaded to the store for the users' enjoyment. Calculations from AppFigures round the app average at 447 per week.
To put the number in context, streaming service rival Roku has 2,500 apps (Roku insists on calling them channels) after being on the market for a few years.
From the Apple TV Store, 38 percent of apps are games, totaling 1,002 titles that can be downloaded. Entertainment comes next with 17 percent, rounding up 417 apps. On the third place sits the Education category, with 175 apps, or 7 percent of the total.
Developers can contribute to one of the 20 categories of apps, but users only have access to seven. Before opening up a new category for the public, Apple typically waits for it to have a consistent number of apps.
An interesting detail is that even if gaming apps represent the majority, the popularity scale shows that entertainment takes first place. Out of the 50 most downloaded apps, 28 are from this category. In the same top-50, the number of games is only eight.
This means that the most users use the Apple TV to stream their favorite shows and movies.
According to the report from AppFigures, 39 percent of apps come at a cost. A staggering number of apps, 85 percent to be precise, have price points of $2.99 or less. Somewhat predictable, the most popular price to pay for an app is $0.99.
"Over half of transactions are coming from people upgrading from the last Apple TV" senior vice president Eddy Cue pointed out.
He added that the rest of purchases come from people who decided to buy their first Apple TV.
Cue also underlined that the Apple TV's approach to games will be similar to what happened with the iPhone. This implies that the set-top box will support an increased number of games dedicated to recreational players, as opposed to hardcore gamers.
"I think the vast majority of people around the world probably aren't looking to buy an Xbox or PlayStation. But that doesn't mean they don't enjoy playing games. I think Apple TV expands the gaming market to those people," Cue noted.
