News and entertainment smartphone apps are downloaded the most, but
productivity smartphone applications generate the most revenues,
reports In-Stat. Social networking , messaging, and email apps dominate while Android is growing at the fastest.
Productivity applications such as mapping, business and enterprise
applications and phone tools & utilities generate 59% of all
smartphone application revenue.
“The competitiveness of the smartphone app market will intensify
over the next few years as developer ecosystems become more
competitive with Apple’s,app store” says Frank Dickson, In-Stat
analyst. “There are no less than eight notable smartphone OSs, and the
number is more likely to grow rather than shrink. Google will exploit
its Internet dominance, and Apple will leverage its development
community and stable platform. Microsoft is placing its bet on Windows
Mobile 7.”>
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
- Games and Music & Radio are the top 2 news and entertainment
smartphone apps downloaded. - Although Mobile VoIP was the
highest 2010 growth segment, social
networking, messaging applications, e-mail apps continue to dominate
the category in terms of total downloads. - The number of
Android apps downloaded is growing at the fastest
rate; however, Apple applications still dominate both free and paid
downloads. 2012 witnesses the last of the Palm OS applications
downloads.