New York — Apple said on Thursday its App Store generated $20bn for developers in 2016, a 40% increase from 2015, helped by the popularity of games such as Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run and increased revenue from subscriptions. App Store sales topped more than $3bn in December, helped by the launch of Nintendo’s Super Mario Run, which was downloaded more than 40-million times in the first four days after its launch. Nintendo’s Pokemon Go was also the most downloaded application in 2016. Billings from popular subscription-based apps such as Netflix, HBO Now and MLB.com At Bat jumped 74% to $2.7bn in 2016. Apple said customers spent nearly $240m on apps and in-app purchases on New Year’s Day, the biggest sales day ever. App sales in China jumped 90% last year, Apple said without providing details. Apple also said on Thursday it had removed the New York Times’s English- and Chinese-language news apps from its iTunes store in China at the request of local authorities. Apple’s own iBook...
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