Apple's top-selling apps of 2009

It could be argued that 2009 was the year of the App Store, as Apple’s bustling storefront for downloadable iPhone programs caught fire with consumers. The store — with more than 100,000 apps — has seen more than 2 billion downloads. It has also become one of Apple’s most powerful marketing tools, leaving competitors scrambling to catch up.

So what are all those people buying? The company has just released its year-in-review look at the most popular apps, providing a window into the purchasing habits of millions of iPhone and iPod touch users.

A number of location-based apps — some quite pricey — made the list for best-selling apps of 2009. Navigon’s $90 “Moblie Navigator” app, TomTom’s $100 turn-by-turn navigation app, and the $30 “GolfShot” — which provides ranges and other data on golf courses — all cracked the top 10. Less expensive offerings such as the $1.99 photo-editing “ColorSplash” app and the $5.99 “Textfree” were also popular.

Electronic Arts landed four titles in the top 10 best-selling games of the year, including such household names as the $6.99 “Sims 3,” the $6.99 “Madden Football” and, ahem, “Tiger Woods” golf. Another big game publisher, Gameloft, landed a pair in the top 10, but there was also some room for less well-known brands, such as Firemint, whose 99-cent game “Flight Control” made the list.