Apple’s App Store receives 26,000 submissions every week

Apple Inc. now says it gets more than 26,000 apps submitted to its iPhone and iPad app store every week -- or about 1.3 million a year.

The pace of application submissions has grown substantially since Apple launched its mobile app store in 2008. In mid-2009, Apple told the Federal Communications Commission it was receiving 8,500 submissions every week, and as recently as 2010, that number was up to 15,000 -- still only half of what the company says it is getting now.

But Apple also says it now rejects close to 30% of submitted apps for failing to adhere to its developer guidelines. Many of the rejected submissions are later sent in again with fixes, the company said.

Apple trumpeted a bold finding last month, that the “App economy” its iPhone engendered had created 466,000 jobs, directly or indirectly. That claim was met with some skepticism, but few have questioned the burst of software development activity that Apple’s mobile devices set off.

The latest app submission statistic was buried in Apple’s response, published Wednesday, to privacy questions from Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.). The company was explaining that it vets its apps in an effort to make sure developers are not misusing smartphone users’ personal information.

“Apple has an unwavering commitment to giving our customers clear and transparent notice, choice, and control over their personal information,” the company said in its letter, dated March 2.

The company’s explanation of its data protection practices were evidently not satisfactory to the legislators, who sent a second letter on Wednesday requesting an in-person briefing with an Apple representative to further explain Apple’s approach to privacy.

RELATED:

Congressmen say Apple has explaining to do; Apple’s readyTwitter stores full iPhone contact list for 18 months, after scan

Path apologizes for saving iPhone contacts, wipes data, updates app