Today, Apple released a new press statement in which it revealed that it had the most successful week to date for their App Store. Apple made public the fact that the App Store customers managed to set a new record during the first week of 2015 by spending almost a half a billions dollars on in-app purchases and apps. In terms of sales, the first week of January was the most successful day in Apple’s history!

Aside from congratulating the big giant, we must add that the new and record-breaking figures aren’t much of a surprise. The previous year, 2014, was also an incredible year for Apple and the App Store, in terms of sales. Billings rose 50%, which means that $10 billion was spent for apps in the App Store for developers, which brings the total earnings for developers to $25 since the App Store came into being.

So what contributed to these record-breaking sales? Well, mostly it was the massive success that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus had. The iPhone sales also broke some records, for example the opening weekend was a record-breaking weekend, as Apple sold the most iPhones it ever did in one single weekend.

Apple has this to say in their press release concerning the record-breaking first week sales:

 “This year is off to a tremendous start after a record-breaking year for the App Store and our developer community,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re so proud of the creativity and innovation developers bring to the apps they create for iOS users and that the developer community has now earned over $25 billion.”

But what else helped Apple sell a record-breaking number or apps? Sure, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were huge, but it had to be more. Well, Apple provided us with the answer to this question. The introduction of HealthKit was something that many people were expecting. HealthKit can be paired up with a large number or accessories and apps, which makes it more than just an app, it makes it a tool.

Outside the United States, Apple added a new payment option for App Store customers in China, called UnionPay. Apple had a bit of a rough patch in launching the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in China, but once that was smoothed over, things went better than expected. UnionPay has brought in more App Store customers, which means more money for Apple and App Store developers.

Also, with the launch of iOS 8’s update, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners got the eagerly-awaited Apple Pay, which makes payment a breeze. You don’t have to open any apps, just point your iPhone 6 and pay. Unfortunately, Apple Pay is only available to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners, because these two models are the only ones that have a NFC (near-field communication) chip that enables safe payment.

In the press release, Apple also revealed how the company has created or supported a little bit over 1,000,000 jobs inside the U.S. Apple has 66,000 direct employees in the United States.