iPad triggers 2.5x surge in iPhone development claims Flurry

Apple's iPad has pushed developer support for the App Store to new highs. At least, that's according to the latest analytics report from research firm Flurry.

Flurry registered 1,600 new iPhone project starts in January, which represents the largest single spike in the company's history, something it directly puts down to iPad activity.

Although the number of new Android apps is also on the rise month-over-month growth averaging 25 percent over the last seven months Flurry claims iPad's appearance on the scene has helped reopen up a development gap between the two formats that had previously been narrowing.

"While Android's steady new application growth over the second half of 2009 closed the gap against the iPhone, reaching as many as one out of every three new applications starts within Flurry for December, the recent spike in Apple iPad support has swung the pendulum back in Apple's favour," says Flurry's VP of marketing Peter Farago.

"The unprecedented surge in support for iPad is a positive early indicator for its commercial potential."

Flurry uses its database of 20,000 applications across iPhone and Android to monitor trends on a monthly basis. This month's report focuses on consumer loyalty, analysing both user retention for apps, and how often consumers tap into the apps they've downloaded.

Usage and app time data

Flurry has also been looking at the retention and usage rates of various apps on iPhone and Android.

These show a strong dropping off of usage the second month after app download, with only 10 percent of consumer still using their apps.

Flurry concludes that apps perform similarly across the two platforms: the data in terms being "nearly identical". There's also what Flurry describes as "little variance" between the two when it comes to session frequency and length.

"Our ultimate conclusion is that the content trumps the platform," says Farago.

"Just like the brand of flat screen TV doesn't affect how much one enjoys a movie she is watching, the new class of touchscreen smartphones doesn't impact how well the user enjoys a game, social networking or other kind of application."

[source: Flurry]