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

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