The users of Apple"s various iOS devices are buying more apps from the App Store than ever before, at least according to a new report. Fortune"s web site states that a new study released today by Piper Jaffray"s Gene Munster states that users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch products are buying 61 percent more apps than they were just a year ago. If true that means that Apple"s software distribution store is doing very well indeed.
Using the few bits of data that Apple announced about App Store sales, such as the recent statement that the 15th million app was downloaded, the study has reported that the average user downloaded 51 apps in 2010 for their iOS device. However that number is expected to go up to 83 apps per average user for 2011. In addition, users are spending more money per app. While there was an actual decline in the average selling price for apps in 2010 by 18 percent, those numbers are expected to increase 14 percent in 2011. Even with those sales number, 82 percent of apps on Apple"s App Store are still free. The other 18 percent of apps that people pay for have an average price of $1.44. Apple"s App Store only generates one percent of Apple"s total revenue numbers.
Google"s Android platform may be on a larger number of phones than Apple"s iOS operating system but the study says that Apple"s App Store still has over twice the amount of apps (425,000) versus the Android Market (200,000).