iTunes' 'astronomical' growth: By the numbers

Apple released a mother lode of statistics on its iTunes and App Store last week at its Worldwide Developers Conference, giving analysts an unprecedented look at iTune's rapid expansion since its 2003 launch as a digital music service. Here, a partial break-down of the "astronomical" growth:

225 million

Number of iTunes account holders worldwide

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130 million

Digital books downloaded

14 billion

Apps downloaded for iPhones, iPads, and iPods

6.775 billion

Population of Earth

62

Average number of app downloads for each of iTunes' 225 million account holders

425,000

Number of apps currently up for sale on iTunes

90,000

Apps developed specifically for the iPad

$1.3 billion

Amount it costs Apple to run the store, according to an analysis by Horace Dediu, a self-employed analyst and blogger for Asymco

$1 billion

Estimated cost of Apple's new data center in Maiden, N.C., which will help accommodate iTunes, along with the new iCloud service and MobileMe

$189 million

Total estimated gross profit Apple has earned from iTunes since the service was launched

Sources: Asymco, SF Chronicle, PC, AppleInsider, Google