Mac App Store Passes 1M Downloads On Day One As Angry Birds Tops Game Charts

Apple said Friday its newly-launched Mac App Store passed 1 million downloads in its first day of availability, as Rovio's Angry Birds topped the best-selling paid game charts. The game, already a major hit on Apple mobile devices, debuted with a 50 percent discount, currently selling for $4.99 on the storefront. Other top-selling paid games on the store (in order following Angry Birds, by unit sales) include Majic Jungle Software's Chopper 2, Gameprom's Pinball HD, Firemint's Flight Control HD, Big Bucket's The Incident and Hothead Games' Precipice of Darkness. While most games in the paid top ten by units ranged in price from 99 cents to $6.99, PopCap Games' Bejeweled 3 is the most expensive, selling for $19.99 and is currently ranked at number nine. Angry Birds reigns over the top-grossing game charts as well, followed by Flight Control HD ($4.99), Chopper 2 (99 cents), Bejeweled 3 and Pinball HD ($2.99). The top free games chart is currently led by Fontaine Software's Solitaire Greatest Hits, Ross Franklin's Minesweeper! and Haolan Qin's Poker HD. Apple said the Mac App Store launched Thursday with over 1,000 free and paid apps, including games, education, graphics and design, lifestyle and utility apps, among other categories. The company's magical CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement that Apple is "amazed" at the response to the store's launch. The Mac App Store is available as a free update to Snow Leopard users. Mac app developers set the price for their apps and retain 70 percent of the sales revenue, as do iOS developers. They also do not incur hosting, marketing or credit card fees, and Apple does not charge developers to distribute free apps. The original App Store for Apple mobiles, including iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad launched in January 2008. The service quickly became an extraordinarily popular destination for developers, with the store now hosting more than 356,000 apps, over 59,000 of which are games, according to Mobclix.