Apple's 50 Billionth App Download Could be Worth $100,000

Apple AAPL is giving away $10,000 to the lucky man or woman who downloads the 50 billionth app within the App Store. Hike, an instant messaging app for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry BBRY and an obscure Nokia NOK format, has decided to raise the stakes a bit. The app's developers announced that if Hike turns out to be the 50 billionth app downloaded within the App Store, it will give away $100,000 worth of Apple products and accessories. Hike estimated that $100,000 is equal to the following:

• 10 iMacs
• 10 MacBook Pros
• 15 iPhones
• 25 iPads
• 30 iPod Touches
• 40 iPad Minis

The cheapest iMac -- a 21-inch 2.7GHz model with an Intel INTC Core i5 processor -- currently retails for $1,299. Ten of those units would be equal to $12,990. What about the rest of the Apple products on the list?

• 10 MacBook Pros = $11,990 (the cheapest model starts at $1,199)
• 15 iPhones = $2,985 (the iPhone 5 starts at $199)
• 25 iPads = $12,475 (the iPad 4 starts at $499)
• 30 iPod Touches = $8,970 (the new iPod Touch starts at $299)
• 40 iPad Minis = $13,160 (the iPad Mini starts at $329)

All told, Hike will give away more than $62,000 in Apple products. With so much room to spare, it's possible that Hike will actually give away some high-end Macs and iDevices -- not merely the base models of each. While this giveaway is intriguing, iOS users should not get their hopes up. The App Store is estimated to have nearly 800,000 different apps. With so many available, it is all but impossible to predict which one will become the 50 billionth app downloaded. Nonetheless, Hike told Benzinga that the offer is legitimate. Having received $7 million in funding from BSB (a joint-venture between Bharti Enterprises and SoftBank Corp.), Hike can afford to take the $100,000 hit -- if and when it becomes the 50 billionth app downloaded. Hike is not the first company that has gotten the attention of SoftBank SFTBF. The Japanese telecommunications giant also hopes to acquire a piece of Sprint S, the third-largest mobile carrier in America. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ