Android and iOS will rule app downloads in 2010 gaining 78% market share

App marketplaces are a vital tool in every smartphone platform's arsenal, but it's iOS and Android that are expected to remain on top in terms of  downloads in 2010.  The latest numbers from ABI Research suggest 78 percent of all apps downloaded this year will be made to either iOS or Android handsets, with Apple's OS taking the lion's share an estimated 51 percent. The firm has previously reported it expects app downloads in total to hit 6 billion across the course of the year. App acceleration "The App Store's days of being the only game in town are over, although the store will continue to be the biggest player in the market," says wireless research analyst Bhavya Khanna. "However, downloads from other platforms, such as Blackberry’s App Store and Nokia's Ovi Store remain sluggish, hampered by a lack of variety and fragmentation among both manufacturers’ many devices." Bottoming out?

The flip side of the rise of the app, however, is increased competition, with many publishers using price as a way of attracting attention. As such, ABI Research claims the 'race to the bottom' has resulted in decreasing revenues from app sales, many games retailing for 99c, while others opt to serve up free apps, making the money back through advertising. Nonetheless, ABI Research concludes making money will be possible in in a market that is expected to peak in 2011 with annual sales of around $8 billion. [source: ABI Research]