The government is holding an inquiry into tax avoidance at the moment, and is today dragging big tech companies Apple, Google and Microsoft to a Senate hearing to get them to justify their tax strategy.
While that all sounds super dull, Apple's statement to the inquiry has offered some extremely interesting facts about the company's Australian operations, and it's not just iPhone 6 sales figures.
According to the Apple statement, there are over 270,000 registered iOS developers in Australia. Given the most recent census data of Australia's population sitting at 23.13 million, that equates to one in every 86 Australians being a registered iOS developer.
"Apple's introduction of the App Store created an entirely new industry and today we have over 270,000 registered app developers in Australia, who have earned over $268 million," the statement claims.
With a $99/year fee to be a part of the iOS developer program, it's unlikely there's much doubling up with that number either.
Small change
You may think that 270,000 registered app developers sharing $268 million revenue, the average revenue of just under $1,000 looks pretty grim. But the truth is that only 32,000 of those Australian app developers are receiving income through the App Store.
However, that doesn't mean 238,000 developers are making nothing. Apple's numbers don't include money made from in-app advertising, which is the bread and butter of free-to-play games everywhere.
Still, given a developer like Halfbrick now employs over 100 staff and has had Fruit Ninja downloaded over 500 million times, it's clear that there is at least some money in being an iOS app developer.
Environmentally friendly
Another interesting factoid to come out of Apple's statement is that all 21 of its retail stores around the country, as well as all its offices are powered by renewable energy.
Sure, there are plenty of other businesses who similarly run on renewable power, but for a company that spent so many years on Greenpeace's naughty list, it seems that the world's biggest tech company is taking its environmental responsibility seriously.
