Apple announced that more than three billion mini-applications for iPhone and iPod Touch devices have been downloaded from the firm's online App Store.
"Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months; this is like nothing we've ever seen before," Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a release.
"We see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."
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The announcement came as reporters and bloggers swarmed to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, for an "Android press event" where the Internet giant is unveiling its own smartphone.
A "Google phone" would weigh in a contender in a smartphone market dominated by iPhones.
