Mobile Internet usage has surpassed desktops in recent years. The law of volume and demographics has taken over the market place economics. In 2015, Google Play Store saw 100% growth in app downloads than Apple’s App Store, according to Annie’s 2015 retrospective.
With Android devices controlling about 80% of smartphones in the global market, it makes sense for Google Play Store to dominate the volume of app downloads across the world.
On the other end of the spectrum driven by strong growth in China, United States and Japan, Apple’s App Store still generates about 37% more revenue than Google Play, according to App Annie.
And it all makes sense. Apple is strong in top markets like China, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States, with its App Store revenue up by 2x in China from 2014 to 2015, 1.3x in Japan & 1.2x in the U.S.
Apple says, “The App Store generated revenue of $20 billion in 2015 alone”.
Where is it Being Earned?
First and foremost you need to decide what platform (or platforms) to design your app on. The leader in this category is Apple’s iOS with over 25% of its developers earning over $5,000 per month. It has its overall earnings more spread out, increasing your odds to earn your bucks. Android comes second with more than 16% of its developers earning over $5,000 per month in revenue because of its continued market penetration.
The Earnings
With estimated global revenue of $25 billion in 2014 and $46 billion by 2016, apps are here big time showing no signs of dropping.
Conclusion
Always, pick a Platform for your new App according to your target market & business domain; It’s very important. Not everything suits everywhere. Porting your App to other platforms is sometimes a viable option, once it’s a proven winner in any of the platforms; Saving you a lot of time & money.
iOS or Android; Which platform are you planning to choose & why? I would be happy to hear from you.
