App market research firm Distimo has partnered with analyst company CCS Insight to co-develop a new market tracker, App VU Tracker.

The product combines extensive data with analysis of the app store market to identify market trends and detailed comparisons across major app stores.

Additional services include face-to-face presentations and making data available in the Excel format.

"We believe Distimo's factual app market data, in combination with CCS Insight's experience with analysing global industry trends provides a unique product that will help many organisations define and steer the content strategy," said Vincent Hoogsteder, Distimo's CEO.

New year resolutions

Analysis from the first App Vu Global report confirms that Apple is the market leader in downloads, number of apps, and revenue with iPhone and iPad app stores generating a daily revenue of $3.34 million and £2.07 million respectively in January 2012, in terms of the top 200 top grossing apps. 

It also claims that Google Play saw a 31 percent rise in daily sales in the same month earning $679,000 from smartphones and tablets - again for the top 200 top grossing apps.

"The strong growth in downloads and revenue for Apple and Android comes at a time when consumers typically rein back their spending after Christmas", said Paolo Pescatore, director of Applications and content at CCS Insight.

Penny pinching

Much of the post-Christmas growth has been attributed to a surge of in-app purchases counting for 60 percent of revenue across iPad, iPhone, and Google stores in January 2012.

In February, revenue generated by apps featuring in-app purchases increased 73 percent for the top 200 highest grossing Android and iPad applications, and 79 percent for the top 200 iPhone apps.

February also saw a 27 percent drop in iPad download due to the impending announcement of Apple's new iPad resulting in a $250,000 decrease compared to January's daily revenue something Pescatore describes as a "short-term blip" for the company.

[source: Distimo (PDF)]