Steve Jobs apparent vow to destroy Android with a "thermonuclear war" didn't exactly pan out as he intended, with Android's market share growing in most major territories month on month.
Now a report from ABI Research suggests app downloads on Google's platform have also surpassed that of the mighty App Store, accounting for 44 percent of the worldwide app market in Q2 2011 to iOS's 33 percent.
Android, it's the future
The main reason behind Android's apparent app ascendancy, the firm claims, is fairly straightforward: there are simply more Android devices out there.
"Android's open source strategy is the main factor for its success," said research associate Lim Shiyang.
"Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores. These conditions alone explain why Android is the new leader in the mobile application market."
Apple's total iPhone shipment growth for 2011 Q2 was down to 9 percent from 15 percent a quarter earlier, according to the report, while Android smartphone shipment growth rose by 36 percent compared to 20 percent in Q1.
That's a gap ABI reseach believes will only expand in the years to come. Currently, there are 2.4 Android users for every one running iOS. By 2016, the company claims, that ratio will have risen further to 3.4 Android devices to every 1 iOS.
Monetisation matters
Apple is still ahead of the curve in terms of monetisation, however, according to practice director of mobile services Dan Shey.
"Despite leading in total mobile application downloads, Android's app downloads per user still lag behind Apple's by 2-to-1," he said.
"Apple's superior monetisation policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience."
ABI Research claims global app downloads hit a total of 9 billion in 2010 an annual figure set to rise to 29 billion by the end of 2011, with the total smartphone install base expected to increase by 46 percent.
The firm's take comes weeks after Xyologic estimated Android Market's monthly downloads wouldn't top those on the App Store until after June 2012.
[source: BusinessWire]
Data & Research
When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.
Related Articles
as
News
Feb 10th, 2014
Chart of the Week: Averaging 102 sessions per week, Puzzle & Dragon dominates 2013 stats
Data & Research
Mar 5th, 2013
Developers to adopt 'Android first' policy as platform drives app downloads in 2013
Top Stories
as
News
10 hours, 33 minutes ago
Supercell's Hay Day returns to China's App Store after four year absence
News
11 hours, 46 minutes ago
Take-Two's mobile bookings make 53% of their total and GTA 6's release date gets locked in
News
11 hours, 58 minutes ago
Minecraft celebrates its 15th birthday with discounts, in-game surprises and daily rewards
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Valencia Indie Summit 2024 | Europe | May 16th |
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024