苹果应用下载量已达400亿次

Apple has asserted its leadership in the mobile applications market, revealing 20bn apps were downloaded on its iPhone, iPad and iPods in 2012.

苹果(Apple)披露，2012年其iPhone、iPad和iPod产品的应用下载量达200亿次，维护了其在移动应用市场上的领导地位。

Firing a shot across the bows of its rivals as they unveiled new tablets and smart televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Apple said it set a record with 2bn app downloads in December, taking its total to 40bn since the launch of the App Store in 2008.

就在竞争对手纷纷在拉斯维加斯举办的国际消费电子产品展(CES)上推出新款平板电脑和智能电视机之际，苹果令它们大吃一惊，称12月份其应用下载量再创新高，达到20亿次，使其应用下载总量自2008年App Store亮相以来达到400亿次。

Apple said it had 500m active accounts for the App Store and iTunes, up from 435m in September and 400m in June. The figure emphasises a key advantage the iPhone maker holds over its rivals in the mobile market, helping to keep customers loyal to its iOS platform.

苹果表示，它的App Store和iTunes现在共拥有活动账户5亿，而9月份为4.35亿，6月份为4亿。这一数字突显出，这家iPhone制造商在移动应用市场上比其竞争对手拥有关键优势，从而使顾客忠于其iOS平台。

However, Google’s rival Android smartphone system is gaining popularity among developers and consumers. In September, Google said it had reached 25bn downloads from Google Play, its Android app marketplace, and had activated more than 500m Android devices globally.

不过，竞争对手谷歌(Google)的安卓(Android)智能手机系统日益受到开发者和消费者的欢迎。9月份，谷歌表示，其安卓应用市场Google Play的下载量累计达250亿次，在全球激活了5亿台安卓设备。

The timing of Apple’s announcement, amid several smart TV launches from the likes of Samsung and LG at CES yesterday, has led some observers to speculate on what the App Store’s strength might mean for a long-rumoured Apple TV set.

苹果宣布这一消息时，正值三星(Samsung)和LG等厂商昨日在CES上推出数款智能电视机，这让部分观察人士猜测，App Store的优势对于传闻已久的苹果电视机会有什么意义。