Two numbers that Apple fans won't forget in a hurry have made the headlines this week: 10 billion and 40 billion.
The first refers to the 10 billion songs that have now been downloaded from the iTunes Store. The 10 billionth song was the eerily appropriate "Guess Things Happen That Way" by the oh so aptly named Johnny Cash. And cash is waiting for the downloader of that 10 billionth track in the form of a $10,000 iTunes gift card courtesy of Apple. "We’re grateful to all of our customers for helping us reach this amazing milestone" Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services stated, adding "we’re proud that iTunes has become the number one music retailer in the world, and selling 10 billion songs is truly staggering".
Cash is also what Apple has in the bank, lots and lots of cash. Which brings us to that second big number of 40 billion. According to numerous reports emerging online, a shareholder meeting held at the Apple Cupertino campus HQ saw CEO Steve Jobs reveal that the company has a stockpile of some $40 billion in cash. There is now plenty of speculation surrounding Jobs telling the investors at that meeting the cash pile would allow Apple to think big and take bold risks.