De kritiek op de grote tech-bedrijven wordt vaak op één hoop gegooid, zo wordt Apple ook in één adem genoemd over privacy met bijvoorbeeld Facebook en Google. Terwijl alle tegenstand van Facebook tegen de maatregelen die Apple neemt om onze privacy te beschermen boekdelen spreekt.

Daarom heeft Apple al een tijdje een tegenoffensief gestart, waarbij het vooral laat weten wat voor positieve bijdrage het bedrijf levert. Dat doet het in de VS onder andere door persberichten over de app-economie, die er mogelijk helemaal niet geweest was als Apple nooit een App Store was gestart. In dat kader zijn er nu persberichten hierover uitgebracht in Duitsland, Frankrijk en het Verenigd Koninkrijk.



De boodschap daarin verschilt eigenlijk alleen wat betreft de cijfers. In Duitsland en Frankrijk ligt het aantal banen die door de app-economie is gegenereerd inmiddels boven de 250.000, in het Verenigd Koninkrijk zijn dat er al 330.000.

Hieronder de centrale boodschap uit alle drie de persberichten:

Despite economic challenges posed by the pandemic, the iOS app economy created more opportunities for UK developers than ever

As the pandemic forced people across the UK to adapt every aspect of their lives, and brick-and-mortar businesses to move online, the iOS app economy was a resilient source of opportunity, innovation, and economic growth. UK developers continued to grow their businesses and share new apps with the world, and the App Store now supports more than 330,000 jobs in the UK — an increase of more than 10 percent over the past year.

The App Store has become a powerful engine of economic growth in the UK and around the world since Apple launched it in 2008. As entrepreneurs moved their businesses online and established developers built on their successes, users discovered new apps to help them adapt to an increasingly virtual world.

Developers across the UK generated to date more than £3.6 billion in total earnings — growing 22 percent in 2020 from the previous year. That trend echoed across Europe, where the iOS app economy grew to support 1.7 millions jobs — a 7 percent increase since 2019. The UK leads Europe in iOS app developer jobs, with Germany and France estimated to each host over 250,000 jobs.

Growth in the UK was driven by the innovations and breakthrough success of UK developers, whose apps users relied on for learning, working out, keeping track of their health, or finding ways to stay connected and entertained. During the pandemic, people turned to UK workout apps like One You Couch to 5K, fitness plan app Fiit, and sleep support app Sleepiest Sleep Sounds Stories. UK developer Moshi, a sleep and mindfulness app for children, has seen a rapid growth in downloads and subscriptions over the last year, leading to a 50 percent expansion of its team with 10 new hires.

“In a year like no other, the UK has remained a vibrant and innovative hub for entrepreneurs and app developers,” said Christopher Moser, senior director of the App Store. “More people in the UK than ever before are working as part of the iOS app ecosystem, creating exciting apps enjoyed by people all over the world.”

In a year that saw so many incredible app innovations, here are a few highlights from UK developers whose apps found success on the App Store and touched more lives than ever before.