Apple Releases Free Stuff on App Store Anniversary

It's been five years since Apple launched its popular App Store. To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the Cupertino, California-based firm is giving away free applications and games.

Apple's App Store originally launched in 2008 (shortly after the release of the iPhone) with roughly five hundred different applications. Today, the App Store is approaching one million apps.

Earlier this week Apple unveiled a new section of its App Store displaying five free apps and five free games for the iPhone and the iPad tablet computer. (Source: latimes.com)

Typically each of these apps / games costs a few bucks. But for a limited time, App Store users can download them for no charge.

The five free apps:

• "Barefoot World Atlas", which features an interactive three-dimensional globe.
   
• "Day One", which allows users to create journal and diary entries.
   
• "How to Cook Everything", a bestselling cookbook from New York Times columnist Mark Bittman.
   
• "Over", a photograph editing application.
   
• "Traktor DJ", which is disc jockey software for the iPad tablet computer.

The five free games:

• "Badland", an action-adventure platformer similar to the very popular "Limbo".
   
• "Infinity Blade II", a hack-and-slash adventure that has previously been named IGN's mobile game of the year.
   
• "Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP", a role-playing game which might be considered the budget-priced equivalent of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim".
   
• "Tiny Wings", a colorful puzzle game clearly inspired by the super-popular "Angry Birds".
   
• "Where's My Water?", a Disney-themed puzzle game for a younger audience. (Source: usatoday.com)

The savings on each app and game range widely. For example, while many of the apps typically cost less than $5, the Traktor DJ software usually runs $20. As for the games, the best deal is probably Infinity Blade II, which normally costs $7.

To find the games, head on over to the App Store and look for the "5 Years of the App Store" section.