iPhone apps lose $450 million to piracy

Apple has made an absolute fortune from its iPhone range and downloads from the App Store, but it’s also lost a small fortune to piracy.

Figures from financial site 24/7 Wall St suggest app piracy has cost the platform holder and iPhone developers over $450 million since July 2008.

Over three billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store to date but it’s estimated that for every legitimate, paid download, three illegal app downloads have been made.

A number of game developers, including Rally Master Pro creator Fishlabs and Tap Fu studio Smells Like Donkey have been stung by iPhone piracy, leading them to question whether Apple’s doing enough to combat the problem.