Since its release, Angry Birds, by Rovio, has dominated the top download charts on the App Store, but just how long can this avian app soar among the top 5? Sure, who doesn’t want to smash, crash, and blow their way through a snarky, giggling group of pigs, but what is baffling, is there are so many people still downloading this app. According to App Shopper, Angry Birds has graced the top charts for 569 days and since December 2009, has fallen only temporarily to apps such as Cut the Rope, Tiny Wings, and the eternal classic, Doodle Jump.
Let’s not give Rovio too much credit… Any great addition to a $.99 game is an great update and Angry Birds is a generously updated app. However, this may be leading to a skewed belief that new users are the only ones downloading the app. Every time a new update comes out, everyone who already owns the game, re-downloads for the update, which continues to increase its ability to hold a top spot.
Angry Birds is, and always will be, a genre shattering platform, but what will it take to knock it off the top charts? One may be hard pressed to predict another simplistic and excellent gaming app. The simplicity of Angry Birds, coupled with its ability to capture the attention spans of children and adults-alike, may be a recipe for permanent domination. As long as there are millions of new iPhone and iPod Touch users (and updates, of course), Angry Birds will continue to nest calmly at the top.
Jim Gresham An avid Macintosh convert, Jim appreciates the fine, detailed, and progressive products Apple designs. He spent his younger years tinkering with computers, reading about technology, and watching Star Wars. Since 2008, he has worked on improving his Apple arsenal and spends his free time researching the latest gadget trends. A native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, he enjoys the stiff crease on a well-ironed dress shirt and dons a bow tie on a regular basis.