There’s no doubt that by the time I finish writing this story, Apple will have chosen a winner. But, just in case you didn’t read about the Apple giveaway today, I’ll fill you in. You see, Apple is about to hit 25 billion downloads via the Apple App Store. When that number arrives, Apple will give away an App Store gift card worth $10,000 to the person who downloads the 25 Billionth app. Now, like I said, the Apple website is rapidly counting down to that magic number, so there’s no chance that the number won’t be reached by the time you read this, but it’s still interesting to note that Apple is at it once again with a winning marketing campaign (while also taking some attention away form negative press).

A Great Diversion

Just in case you haven’t heard, Apple has been having some problems in China lately. First, the Apple’s PR team was hit by a letter from two former plant employees stating that working conditions in one of Apple’s plants (run by Foxconn) aren’t safe. Then, Apple had an issue (and is still battling it out in court) with the name of the iPad, which, apparently, is owned by another company. As you can see, Apple has gained a lot of bad press lately, and Apple’s PR team is hard at work trying to get the public’s mind off of these problems.

What better way to make consumer happy than to give away $10,000? As App Store users scramble to grab that $10,000 ticket, Apple has decided to provide consumers with another way to win the cash. Those who wanted to participate in the drawing could simply sign up on the Apple website (bypassing the downloading part of the equation). In addition to winning that big gift card, who ever winds up downloading the 25 billionth app will have to allow Apple to use their name, the app that was downloaded, and probably a photo or two. If you didn’t hear about this yesterday, you won’t be able to participate in the contest today (unless by some miracle the prize hasn’t been claimed!), but you can take a good look at how Apple handles its PR crises (entrepreneurs, take notice!).

Apple All Over the News

So, now that Apple is giving away (or has given away) a $10,000 App Store gift card, is in the news regarding China, and is still one of the most profitable companies in the world, there’s no escaping news that has to do with Apple. Whether you love the company or hate, you can’t deny the fact that Apple is everywhere. The recent decision to give away $10,000 in the form of a gift card is just what the doctor ordered, and the public is sure to forget all about the China fiascos once the new iPad hits stands within the next few months.

There’s no doubt about it, Apple is at it again with another brilliant marketing campaign – the question now is: who will be the lucky $10,000 winner?