Apple has launched a new contest on the App Store, offering a $10,000 gift to the person that downloads the fifty billionth app from the App Store. “As of today, nearly 50 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. And we couldn’t have done it without you. So we want to say thanks. Download the 50 billionth app, and you could win a US$10,000 App Store Gift Card. Or download one of the first 50 apps after that, and you could win a US$500 App Store Gift Card.^* Browse the App Store and download your next favorite app.” » Apple Begins Countdown to 50 Billion App Store Downloads, Win a $10,000 App Store Gift Card

Macworld reports that Apple has added a new ‘download later‘ prompt to large media purchases “such as movies, TV shows, TV Season Passes, full TV seasons, movie bundles, and music box sets” made in iTunes or on the mobile iTunes Store. » Apple Adds “Download Later” Option To Large Purchases On Mobile iTunes Store

Five years after after Amazon launched the Music Store, Amazon has announced that it has optimized its MP3 music store specifically for Safari on iOS devices to challenge the iTunes Store. iPhone and iPod touch users can discover and buy digital music from Amazon’s 22-million song catalog using the Safari browser. » Amazon MP3 Store Now Optimized For iPhone & iPod touch

Earlier we already wrote that Apple had Launched the iTunes store in 56 new countries including Russia, Turkey and India. Now Appleinsider reported that Apple on Wednesday activated iTunes movie sales in 42 new countries. “AppleInsider readers have reported that movies are now available through iTunes in various countries, such as South Africa, but many stores are only showing films from Disney, Sony and their subsidiaries.” iTunes Store users now have access to movies in the following newly-added countries: » iTunes Movies Now Available In 42 Newly-Opened Stores

Apple currently offers music in its iTunes Store in over 60 countries. According to TechCrunch, Apple is holding a small media event in Moscow tomorrow “December 4”, presumably to announced the launch of the iTunes Music Store in Russia as well. » Small Apple Media Event Tomorrow In Moscow To Launch Russian iTunes Music Store?

The Wall Street Journal has published a profile of Eddy Cue “Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services”, which includes hints about the release date of iTunes 11. iTunes was expected to be released at the end of October but was delayed with a new release date pegged at the end of November. According to the report it will come out as soon as today. » iTunes 11 To Launch As Soon As Today?

Facebook announced that today with Facebook Gifts, you can instantly gift your friends iTunes digital gifts and recommend albums, movies, games, apps, and more available on the iTunes Store. You can search for a specific song or album to recommend, or let your friend decide. iTunes digital gifts are available for $10, $15, $25, or $50. » iTunes Digital Gift Cards Now Available On Facebook