Again at the end of 2010, Apple released its annual list of top-grossing iPhone apps. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by entertainment apps, particularly games. of the more productivity-related programming, iPhone and iPod Touch users evidently placed a high premium on navigation, shelling out $50 for the TomTom U.S.a. app, optimized for the iPhone 4, and free worldwide VOIP (voice over IP) calls. Baseball also ranked high, with many users downloading the MLB app. despite a growing challenge from Google Android, Apple remains strong in the consumer smartphone space. Third-party developers have flocked to the company’s App Store as a revenue generator, populating the online storefront with hundreds of thousands of apps. When analyzing the list one might be able to conclude that iPhone and iPad users have a vital and all-consuming affection for one thing: blowing zombies to smithereens.
#1: MLB.com At Bat 2010
Cost: FreeDetails: Schedules, standings, postseason results, breaking news for teams, video highlight library, interactive rosters, and player stats helped make this one of the bestselling iPhone apps of 2010. the app is free for the moment-but once the 2011 season begins, expect to pay around $15.
#2: angry Birds
Cost: FreeDetails: This bestselling game asks players to hurl extremely irate birds at extremely rickety structures holding extremely ugly pigs. It’s more fun than it sounds.
#3: Call of Duty: War of Worlds – Zombies
Cost: $4.99Details: Who likes shooting zombies? Evidently a lot of people.
#4: Bejeweled 2
Cost: $0.99Details: a puzzle game involving gems.
#5: Friend Caller 3 Pro
Cost: FreeDetails: Free worldwide VOIP calls to other FriendCaller 3 Pro users (meaning that the WiFi-enabled iPod Touch can also use this app for calls). Costs apply for calls to landlines and other mobile devices.
#6: Zombie Farm
Cost: FreeDetails: Apple’s love affair with zombies continues in this game, which lets you grow the undead.
#7: TomTom USA
Cost: $49.99Details: This navigation app offers real-time traffic updates (with route evaluation based on traffic speeds), advanced lane guidance, destination dialing, route sharing, and other features.
#8: Tetris
Cost: $2.99Details: Hasn’t moved from the #8 ranking since 2009. the classic game, which involves stacking asymmetrical bricks in unbroken rows, has several cool modes, such as “bubble wrap” and “magic crayon.”
#9: Plants vs Zombies
Cost: $2.99Details: This tower-defense game became enormously popular early in 2010, as thousands of users leapt at the chance to pelt cartoon zombies with anthropomorphic vegetables and fruit.
#10: Doodle Jump
Cost: $0.99Details: If a 7-year-old had the budget and programming abilities of a games studio, they’d probably design something that looks like this.