Those behind the notion that mobile app downloads have already reached their plateau haven't considered one thing: their expansion to new formats.

That's the conclusion drawn by IDC in the firm's latest report on the size of the app business.

According to its findings, the doors opened by the likes of internet connected TVs means that the app business will continue to accelerate in the coming years.

Apps for everything

App downloads are expected to increase from 10.9 billion in 2010 to 76.9 billion by 2014 – a growth rate that will result in revenues topping $35 billion by the end of the same period.

In the view of IDC's VP of mobile and wireless research Scott Ellison, much of this growth will come from the ability of developers to target all areas of a user's life – from filling the five minute bus ride to work, to providing useful tools and utilities.

"Mobile app developers will 'appify' just about every interaction you can think of in your physical and digital worlds," said Ellison.

"The extension of mobile apps to every aspect of our personal and business lives will be one of the hallmarks of the new decade with enormous opportunities for virtually every business sector."

Game for apps

It's a talent developers working on apps for TVs will also make the most of, in IDC's view, although the firm doesn't go as far as to detail the split between mobile and TV apps in terms of share or download numbers in its summary.

There's also no clue given as to how much of the market will continue to be absorbed by games, although rival predictions by Juniper and Gartner claim mobile game revenues could top $11 billion at any point over the course of the next four years.

The report – The 'Appification' of Everything – can be downloaded in full for $4,500 from IDC's website.