Why Apple Inc. (AAPL) iTunes Simply Owns Google Inc (GOOG) In This Arena

Many people continue to wonder when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes will finally be challenged by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play. Despite the fact that the service by the search engine giant has gained some ground, all we have to do is take a look at the numbers associated with iTunes to realize why it is still top dog.

When it comes down to it, Apple CEO Tim Cook has done a masterful job keeping iTunes on the straight and narrow. This service continues to tick, one year after the next, doing big things and giving users exactly what they want.

On the other side of things, you have Google Play led by Larry Page and his team. Despite the fact that this service may not be as popular as iTunes, it must be commended for standing strong and growing its user base.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes Key Stats

A recent article published by Asymco (thanks to Horace Dediu) shows just how dominant iTunes has been.

Here are some of the key stats that you want to pay close attention to:

1) iTunes Stores billings were $4.3 billion.

2) Total app downloads have surpassed 50 billion.

3) Users have downloaded more than 1 billion TV episodes and 390 million movies from iTunes. Users are purchasing over 800,000 TV episodes and over 350,000 movies per day.

While all those stats are eye openers, there is something else worth noting: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes reached its best month and week ever for App Store billings last quarter.

Translation: iTunes is still growing.

Does this mean Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play will never catch up? Not necessarily. This service is gaining momentum, and the team at Google has high hopes for the years to come. When compared to iTunes, however, the advantage goes to Cupertino at the present time.

The numbers don’t lie in this case. When you see what type of numbers iTunes is putting up, month after month, it is easy to see why Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play continues to lag behind.

The battle between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play will continue. If Google plans on taking the lead, it will have to put up some serious numbers moving forward.

These hedge fund managers love what Apple is doing, and its iTunes performance is just one of the many reasons for this: David Einhorn, Christopher Hansen, Jeffrey Edwards, Mark Diker, and Stuart Peterson.

The video below touches on what iTunes brings to the table:

Disclosure: none