SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Apple Inc. on Tuesday said more than 3 billion applications have been downloaded from its App Store, a service for the company's iPhone and iPod touch media player.

    Apple launched the App Store in July 2008, and its popularity has led other mobile phone vendors to introduce similar services.

    While releasing the latest numbers, Apple also expressed confidence in maintaining its advantage in the increasingly crowded arena.

    "Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months --this is like nothing we've ever seen before," Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

    "The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon," he added.

    In November last year, Apple announced that over 100,000 applications were available in its App Store.