Apple App Store hits 10 billion app download mark

Network World - The Apple App Store hit the 10-billion-app download mark overnight on Friday, marking a milestone involving an awful lot of Doodle Jump, Tap Tap Revenge and Angry Birds playing, not to mention Facebook and Pandora usage.

Apple is rewarding the downloader of the 10 billionth  free or paid App Store app with a $10,000 iTunes gift card in a bit of showmanship that Willy Wonka would be proud of. As of 7AM EST, now, Apple hadn't openly identified the winner, only saying that you'd need to come back later to find out who won.

Apple celebrated the 10 billionth song downloaded a little less than a year ago: Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way.

Captivating start

Apple's year has gotten off to a captivating start, with CEO Steve Jobs taking a medical leave,  the company posting stellar financial results for Q1,  Apple showing up among the top 50 patent recipients in the United States,  and with buzz building for the iPhone 5 smartphone and iPad 2 tablet computer.