• Apple reported record revenue numbers this week, along with record iPhone and iPad sales.
• As if the App Store isn’t packed enough, 2013 will bring an estimated 435,000 new apps to iOS users – further aggravating discovery challenges for app marketers.
• Across iOS, Android, and RIM, Facebook is the No. 1 app in the U.S., with nearly 86 million unique visitors per month.
• Experts believe 2013 could be a year of explosive tablet growth, as global tablet shipments are expected to reach 145 million. What does this growth mean for mobile marketers?

This week, Apple reported its first quarter earnings, revealing the company sold a record 47.8 million iPhones, 22.9 million iPads, 4.1 million Macs and 12.7 million iPods. In total, some 75 million iOS devices were sold during the quarter. “We’re thrilled with record revenue of over $54 billion and sales of over 75 million iOS devices in a single quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re very confident in our product pipeline as we continue to focus on innovation and making the best products in the world.” AllThingsD has more here.

A recent year-end adeven report forecasts that the Apple App Store will boost its inventory this year. More than 435,000 new apps are expected to launch in the already jam-packed App Store, creating more user acquisition headaches for app developers and marketers. “Growth in terms of App Store size will continue to increase steadily as it has during the past few years, but it also points to a steady climb in the number of apps that fall into its ‘zombie’ category, which accounted for 60 percent of apps in June, but climbed to 64 percent in its most recent tally,” reports Darrell Etherington in TechCrunch. Zombie apps are those that aren't ranked and so have very little chance of being discovered by users.

While the competition is fierce, Facebook sits atop the crowd as the most popular app brand in the U.S., according to comScore. In 2012, the Facebook app enjoyed 85.5 million monthly unique users across iOS, Android and RIM platforms. Of note, Facebook not only has the largest number of users, but also the highest level of engagement. And while Facebook sits at number one, Google apps (including maps, search, and YouTube) occupy slots 2 through 6. Seth Fiegerman of Mashable has more.

New research from ABI Research suggests that 2013 could see dramatic growth in tablet sales. A projected 145 million tablet shipments are set to hit the shelves across the globe this year, meeting the demands of tablet-crazed consumers, reports Mobile Entertainment’s Daniel Gumble. This boost also produces a huge opportunity for marketers. “The concept of mobile advertising started with smartphones but tablets are changing everything, rapidly establishing themselves as universal media players (TV programs, movies, radio, news, magazines) in a way never achieved through ‘personal’ computers,” said Magna EVP and Director of Global Forecasting Vincent Letang to MediaPost. 

• The Apple App Store hits a new record – 40 billion downloads!
• Recent reports indicate that Apple’s iOS tops 50 percent of U.S. smartphone sales, up nearly 36 percent from last year, achieving the highest percentage of sales in the American market to date.
• Expect to see many more tablets in the workplace this year as the BYOD (bring your own device) trend adds more personal tabets to the business environment and companies seek to purchase these devices over computers.
• Mobile ad spending will increase 400 percent in the next four years, reaching a staggering $37 billion in 2016.

This week, Apple announced that consumers have downloaded more than 40 billion apps – with nearly 20 billion in 2012 alone. Today, the App Store has more than 500 million active accounts and had a record-breaking December with more than 2 billion downloads during the month. Apple’s developer community has created 775,000+ apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users worldwide. Also, developers have made $7 billion in revenue since the App Store launched in 2008. Tom Cheredar of VentureBeat has the details.

Data released by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech signals a milestone for iOS, as Apple’s operating system powered 53.3 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S. from November 2011 to November 2012. Among U.S. iPhone sales, 34 percent of consumers upgraded from an earlier iPhone, and 40 percent acquired their first smartphone. The growth of iOS translated into market share declines for Android, down nearly 11 percent from last year, writes Jason Ankeny of FierceMobileContent.

Analysts from Piper Jaffray and Forrester predict greater adoption of tablets – especially the iPad – for businesses in 2013, reports Lance Whitney of CNET. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster reveals recent survey results of CIOs, where 57 percent of them indicate plans to deploy tablets this year, compared with 46 percent last year. Additionally, corporate users utilizing their own tablets in the workplace are increasingly relying on apps to help manage their busy lives and day-to-day tasks, such as finding a taxi or hotel, following current events, or making payments.

Estimates from eMarketer indicate mobile ad spending will experience 400 percent growth during the next four years. These estimates incorporate display and search advertising and exclude message-based formats (such as SMS, MMS, and P2P). The major beneficiaries would include Google and Facebook, with gains by Apple, Microsoft, and Yahoo!, writes Chuck Jones of Forbes. North America leads globally, with the average ad dollar spend per mobile user expected to reach $46 in 2016. eMarketer’s estimates include analysis of various elements, such as macro-level economic conditions, historical advertising trends, estimates from other research firms, and mobile usage trends.

• Industry estimates from eMarketer indicate that total mobile ad spend in the U.S. will end 2012 better than expected – at 180 percent total growth from 2011. 
• A recent comScore report revealed that smartphone penetration has reached 55 percent amongst Europe’s five largest markets collectively, with device manufacturers competing in a close race.
• New statistics showed increased optimism about the future of mobile in commerce and advertising, which have both demonstrated rapid growth. 

Advertisers can “be of good cheer” this holiday season: growth estimates of ad spend have increased from $2.61 billion to $4.06 billion, equivalent to 180 percent growth year over year. Statistics from eMarketer included display, search, and message-based advertising across devices, wrote Steve Smith of MediaPost. A large chunk of the boom was attributed to the strong performance of native ad formats from Facebook and Twitter, but Google continued leading mobile advertising. For 2013, eMarketer predicts that the industry would see a 77 percent growth and total mobile ad spend will hit $7.9 billion.

Smartphone penetration in the five leading European markets has hit 55 percent collectively, according to a recent comScore report. The study found that 47 percent of users in these leading markets on Google’s Android operating system, and that Spain had the highest smartphone penetration rate, at 63 percent of mobile phone users. In the U.K., Apple is the leading device manufacturer, but is losing in wider Europe, as Samsung has stolen the No. 1 spot. These numbers are bound to shift in the coming weeks, as the holiday shopping season was not represented in these figures, reports Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch.

In the U.S. market, comScore reported a 13 percent increase in retail ecommerce spending, after analyzing data from the past six weeks of the holiday season. Mobile commerce and advertising both grew more rapidly than expected because of the seamless experience that mobile provides to consumers across advertising mediums and purchase channels, according to eMarketer. “The peak spending period may now be in our rear-view-mirror – but the online holiday shopping season is not over yet,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni in a MobileMarketingWatch piece. 

• After the turkey is carved tomorrow, the 2012 holiday shopping season will officially begin – and mobile will have a giant impact on holiday sales.
• Many big-name brands such as Google, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon have unleashed new or updated apps to assist smartphone-wielding holiday shoppers.
• After 66 million tablets were sold during the 2011 holiday season, industry pundits predict that tablets will continue to dominate wish lists this holiday season, thanks largely to to new product releases.

Beginning as early as tomorrow, 28 percent of smartphone or tablet-owning adults plan to holiday shop via their mobile devices, reported Mobile Marketer. The trend of “couch commerce,” coined by eBay and PayPal for when consumers go from the Thanksgiving dinner table to the couch to start holiday shopping, will continue exploding. Both companies saw a 511 percent increase in global mobile payment activities on Thanksgiving 2011 from Thanksgiving 2010. On Cyber Monday, 83 percent of consumers are expected to shop from home, further increasing the use of mobile to purchase gifts.

Aside from carrying bags in their hands on Black Friday, shoppers will also carry a powerful shopping assistant in their pockets – their smartphones. As a result, many big brands have rolled out new apps or updates just in time for the shopping frenzy. Google is now promoting inside floor plans of major retailers, while Wal-Mart is highlighting locations of major Black Friday markdowns. Target’s app is helping busy parents by scanning QR codes next to popular toys, paying via phones and shipping purchases for free. Amazon’s Price Check is expected to see heavy mobile traffic as shoppers search for discounted deals from the online retailer. To help arm smartphone users for the holiday shopping season, WIRED has listed its picks of top retail apps.

Atop wish lists this year are tablets, which are expected to surge this holiday season, according to Fox Business. The catalyst: new slimmer and smaller tablets such as Apple’s iPad Mini and Microsoft’s Surface that recently hit shelves. The iPad Mini will likely draw lots of purchasers because of its smaller price tag, and the Surface will potentially generate big sales because of its positive industry reviews. But consumers will ultimately have the final say in the success of the tablet PC market – and how many units will be sold this holiday season.