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Apple News users reach 100 million, App Store sales rise

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/01/09/20191218-apple.jpg"/><figcaption>The Apple logo is shown atop an Apple store at a shopping mall in La Jolla, California, US, Dec. 17, 2019, 2019. Mike Blake, Reuters/File</figcaption></figure></div>SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc&#x27;s news service has reached 100 million monthly active users and customers spent more than $1.4 billion in the App Store between Christmas and New Year, the latest signs of growing revenue from the iPhone maker&#x27;s services business.With demand for smart phones and other hardware peaking, Apple has been striving to boost sales from purchases of apps and subscription services like its newly launched Apple TV+ streaming service or Apple Care maintenance packages.The company said that between Dec. 24, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2020, its customers spent $1.42 billion in the App Store, a 16 percent increase over the previous year, and $386 million on Jan. 1 alone, a 20 percent increase.The number of users of the News app rose nearly 18 percent from a year ago, although the company did not break out subscriber numbers for the Apple News+ service, which costs $9.99 per month.The numbers also point to a big shift in spending in the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday season in the United States, with consumers splurging on apps and online shopping rather than in brick-and-mortar stores.Mastercard Inc&#x27;s data tracking retail sales from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve showed US shoppers spent almost a fifth more online during this year&#x27;s holiday shopping season than a year ago, accounting for 15 percent of all retail sales.The App Store growth numbers were roughly in line with the overall trend for Apple&#x27;s services segment revenue, which rose 16 percent to $46.3 billion in its most recent fiscal year ended in September. In comparison, iPhone sales fell 14 percent to $142.4 billion in the same period.Apple keeps between 15 percent and 30 percent of the sales through its App Store, depending on whether users buy software as a one-time purchase or recurring subscription.The company launched several new services in 2019, including the streaming service, a video game service and a credit card.Shares of the company were marginally down in early trading. © Agence France-Presse

The company said that between Dec. 24, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2020, its customers spent $1.42 billion in the App Store, a 16 percent increase over the previous year, and $386 million on Jan. 1 alone, a 20 percent increase.

The company said that between Dec. 24, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2020, its customers spent $1.42 billion in the App Store, a 16 percent increase over the previous year, and $386 million on Jan. 1 alone, a 20 percent increase.