Apple hits one billion app downloads

But controversy over Baby Shaker app forces apology

Apple has announced that is has passed one billion downloads from its App Store. The lucky winner, a 13 year old from Connecticut, will get a $10,000 iTunes gift voucher, an iPod Touch, MacBook Pro and an Apple Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive.

The milestone has taken just nine months to reach – Apple suggests that iPhone and iPod Touch users are downloading an average of 3.5 million apps a day. There are said to be around 30,000 apps to choose from at the store.

The downloaded app was called Bump, which lets two users swap contact information by ‘bumping’ their hands together while holding their devices.

The news comes as Apple was forced to apologise for offering what it called a “deeply offensive” app on its store. Baby Shaker showed an animated crying baby, which users had to quieten down by vigorously shaking their iPhone until red crosses appeared over the baby’s eyes.

In a statement the company said: “This application was deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store. When we learned of this mistake, the app was removed immediately. We sincerely apologise for this mistake and thank our customers for bringing this to our attention.”

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