Angry Birds leads iPhone app boom as boss gets paid $376m
FACEBOOK and the Angry Birds game were the most downloaded apps of 2011, Apple revealed yesterday, and the remaining eight of the top 10 were all games.
Early last month Apple said its 2011 app downloads had smashed through the 100m mark.
The technology giant’s chief executive Tim Cook received almost $1m (£646,700) in cash last year, plus hundreds of millions in restricted shares.
Based on the shares’ valuation in August, when they were awarded to Cook, the package is worth $376m.
Half of the shares vest in 2016, and the other half in 2021, Apple said in an announcement yesterday.
Apple said the remuneration was a retention and promotion tool, and also recognised Cook’s work in standing in when Steve Jobs took medical leave.
Among music apps, Pandora – which generates personalised radio stations for its users based on their music preferences – came top. FatBooth, which shows users how they would look with a few extra pounds, and video streamer Netflix topped the entertainment category.
The less popular heath and fitness category was led by the Calorie Counter app and the Nike+GPS tools to aid track runs and workouts.