So much has happened in the App Store. Tons of new apps, a new iTunes Store design on iOS6 and the Mac. We thought now would be a good time to get some perspective and look back at this very healthy and very busy app economy.
Before you dive into our insanely amazing and priceless infographic, here are some of the observations:
- The App Store is a very healthy ecosystem with well over 1 million apps ever created and approved by Apple
- There is a slowdown in year-on-year growth of new apps published. It does not mean that there is less activity, but rather that growth is decelerating. This is likely the sign of a maturing market.
- Free is clearly prevailing over Paid. 74% of apps published in 2008 were Paid, in contrast to 34% this year. This can be explained by the growing popularity of in-app purchase as a way to efficiently monetize an app.
- A red flag: Over 25% of the apps submitted and approved have been pulled out of the store.
- A low number of apps (a little above 1000) reached the top ranks of the App Store in the US in 2012. This stresses how difficult discovery is if you’re not part of the elite group.
- We estimate that a very large number of apps (over 600,000) never got substantial traction, which is a very bad news for the app economy.
- Although games represent only a fraction of the total number of apps ( <17%) in the App Store, they comprise a majority of apps which appeared in the top 10.
- Let’s note the presence of Google Maps as a new entrant in the top-quality ranked apps next to the already much beloved Angry Birds franchise.
