Apple CEO Tim Cook today announced that Apple had paid out $8B to developers during the last quarter, an increase of US $1 Billion since the last time numbers were announced last month.

The increase in payouts demonstrates that the developer ecosystem of iOS continues to be vibrant, especially as it represents actual paid downloads of apps, not free downloads or overall share,” says Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web.  “Cook’s announcement of the numbers was no accident, as it allows Apple to advertise itself as the best place for developers to make money with their apps.”

Shortly before the close of 2012, Apple’s App Store boasted of 775,000 available apps. But according to Cook, the expansion of iPad-tailored apps has gone a long way to fuel app revenue growth in the iOS ecosystem.

“We have over 300,000 apps custom designed for the tablet,” Cook revealed. “The other guys have a few hundred.”