Apple head Tim Cook said that “the momentum for apps and the App Store has never been greater”, as he revealed that cumulatively more than 140 billion downloads have been made.

The executive said that the last two months (July/August) saw a year-on-year increase in downloads of 106 per cent, indicating that “our users’ love affair with apps for their iPhone and iPad is as strong as ever”.

Cook recently said that July was a record-breaking month for the store, with the highest monthly billings and the largest amount paid out to developers.

While downloads are one thing, he also said that in the most recent quarter the App Store “generated twice the global revenue of our nearest competitor”.

“This is really great for developers, and it’s why so many develop first on iOS, and many only on iOS. And this, of course, is great for our users.”

At the launch of its new iPhone and Apple Watch products, Cook also noted some high-profile games developments.

“There has been something, or rather, someone, missing,” he said, revealing that Nintendo’s Super Mario will join the catalogue in December.

Super Mario Run was described as an “action platformer that has been developed specifically for mobile”.

And a Pokemon Go app is also on the way for Apple Watch.