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An analysis and overview of the APPs BUSINESS that is driving growth in smartphones, tablets, and digital TVs.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Samsung Names Winners in "Free the TV" Developer Challenge
"It's not the race to get the most apps, it's a race to get the right apps," says Samsung-- and they are absolutely correct.
(A quick aside on TVs as a few interesting numbers came out of the Samsung press conference at CES: With 3DTV sales of about 1 million units, Samsung says 3DTV surpasses first-year sales of DVD, HDTV, and Blu-ray. That sounds like a success, despite the controversy. Samsung expects 3DTV sales to grow to 6 million units in 2011 (not just Samsung, of course). But Smart TV will be the larger game with sales expected to be 9 million.)
But how do you get the right apps? You throw money at it....
Thus, the Samsung $500,000 Free the TV Developer Challenge.
Olivier Manuel, Director of Content at Samsung, said the company hit 1 million downloads of Samsung TV apps—an industry first--more than a month ago.
Now their Free the TV Developer Challenge in USA has picked 13 winners...
The winning app, walking away with $200,000, is WeDraw, a social game for home, a sort of digital Pictionary.
Gym Box (home workout app) took second place, Armchair Astronaut (hi-def space exploration) was 3rd, and New Mote (social TV listings) won readers' choice.
The most interesting fact is there seemed to be only 56 applications. Thirteen out of 56 won...doesn't seem like bad odds for developers out there.
AND NOW FOR EUROPE...public voting has just started for the 500,000 euro Samsung SmartTV Challenge in Europe
AND NOW FOR EUROPE...public voting has just started for the 500,000 euro Samsung SmartTV Challenge in Europe
(A quick aside on TVs as a few interesting numbers came out of the Samsung press conference at CES: With 3DTV sales of about 1 million units, Samsung says 3DTV surpasses first-year sales of DVD, HDTV, and Blu-ray. That sounds like a success, despite the controversy. Samsung expects 3DTV sales to grow to 6 million units in 2011 (not just Samsung, of course). But Smart TV will be the larger game with sales expected to be 9 million.)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mac App Store: 1 Million Downloads in First Day
It took the Mac App Store less than one day to hit 1 million downloads.
Evernote, for example, saw 90,000 client downloads between the store launch and midnight Jan. 7th. CEO Phil Libin was quoted by GigaOM as saying: “...We initially thought that since so much of our user base was coming from mobile, that was the key distribution platform. But maybe it isn’t mobile that’s important, maybe it’s the well-designed app store.”
The Mac App Store, according to a number of industry analysts, may become the default way to download software onto the Mac. That level of disruption would change the way all software is delivered to PCs.
Just like the App Store Beat iTunes to 10 Billion Downloads by 6 Years, we may find Mac App Store to be a surprisingly richer development than we ever expected.
Evernote, for example, saw 90,000 client downloads between the store launch and midnight Jan. 7th. CEO Phil Libin was quoted by GigaOM as saying: “...We initially thought that since so much of our user base was coming from mobile, that was the key distribution platform. But maybe it isn’t mobile that’s important, maybe it’s the well-designed app store.”
The Mac App Store, according to a number of industry analysts, may become the default way to download software onto the Mac. That level of disruption would change the way all software is delivered to PCs.
Just like the App Store Beat iTunes to 10 Billion Downloads by 6 Years, we may find Mac App Store to be a surprisingly richer development than we ever expected.
Connected TV Means New Players
In our sister publication for consumer electronics, On CE, I predicted last year that 3D TV would be less significant than Connected TV. This year's CES certainly had enough of both. Yet, in 2011, it seems clearer than Connected TV will be the bigger play. And apps will be the driving force...
That reminded me of a conversation I had at Berlin IFA. The earliest adopter in Europe of Android TV is an interesting company in Sweden called People of Lava. I spoke to Christian Svantesson, owner and Johan Lantz, Business Developer about the challenges of launching Connected TV.
People of Lava make Scandinavian-designed HD LED TV with an Android engine. Like the big TV makers, Samsung or Sony, this Swedish company discovered it had to be in the app business to be in the Connected TV business. They were so early on the Connected TV curve, People of Lava felt compelled to create a few apps just to be to explain and sell their TVs.
"Our intention is not to be app developers, rather aggregators, supporters and advocates of TV apps," says Johan Lantz. "... the amount of apps we will develop ourselves will be limited. We are first and foremost TV manufacturers. Consequently, we will focus our in-house development on apps with a high degree of uniqueness, which of course can be charged for. We might also to a certain extent focus app development on ‘holes’ in the market place, thus acting pathfinders for other developers."
I believe as Connected TV rolls out (of course, not without the traditional problem of lack of cooperation with Hollywood, cable TV companies etc) that Android will inspire more new brands to enter the TV market. Yes, Google TV got off to a bad start as many companies seek to discourage Google as a disruptor in their industry.
I can hear your scepticism bouncing off the screen you are reading this on: "How can anyone expect to crack the entry into the TV business?" you ask. Fair enough question...
If you had asked that in mobile phones, you might have bet against HTC. If you had asked that, you may have been against a new portable PC form factor like iPAD.
In TV, we can actually point to a few examples. In USA, the brand Vizio has now ranked No. 1 in more than several quarters of TV sales-- and ranks consistently among the top brands like Sony, Samsung and Sharp.
In Belgium, the young brand Q-Media has last year cracked the GfK list of best-selling TVs.
All across Europe, new companies are gearing up with Android TV. Last year Netherland's MediaLine won the Best Product Award at RetailVision Europe.
Logitech will be back with Google TV. And rumours still think Apple will make its move in TV.
App developers who look to Connected TV to bring growth similar to mobile apps, should be aware of this wave of new niche and challenger brands of TV. These TV makers will be better partners than big brands and your apps may be featured instead of buried in a pack. Like People of Lava, like Samsung and other big brands, every Connected TV maker will find a need to either aggregate or cooperate with an app aggregator to properly enter the market in Europe.
It's not your father's TV set any more. And it probably won't be the brands your father appreciated. The disruption is just beginning...
That reminded me of a conversation I had at Berlin IFA. The earliest adopter in Europe of Android TV is an interesting company in Sweden called People of Lava. I spoke to Christian Svantesson, owner and Johan Lantz, Business Developer about the challenges of launching Connected TV.
People of Lava make Scandinavian-designed HD LED TV with an Android engine. Like the big TV makers, Samsung or Sony, this Swedish company discovered it had to be in the app business to be in the Connected TV business. They were so early on the Connected TV curve, People of Lava felt compelled to create a few apps just to be to explain and sell their TVs.
"Our intention is not to be app developers, rather aggregators, supporters and advocates of TV apps," says Johan Lantz. "... the amount of apps we will develop ourselves will be limited. We are first and foremost TV manufacturers. Consequently, we will focus our in-house development on apps with a high degree of uniqueness, which of course can be charged for. We might also to a certain extent focus app development on ‘holes’ in the market place, thus acting pathfinders for other developers."
I believe as Connected TV rolls out (of course, not without the traditional problem of lack of cooperation with Hollywood, cable TV companies etc) that Android will inspire more new brands to enter the TV market. Yes, Google TV got off to a bad start as many companies seek to discourage Google as a disruptor in their industry.
I can hear your scepticism bouncing off the screen you are reading this on: "How can anyone expect to crack the entry into the TV business?" you ask. Fair enough question...
If you had asked that in mobile phones, you might have bet against HTC. If you had asked that, you may have been against a new portable PC form factor like iPAD.
In TV, we can actually point to a few examples. In USA, the brand Vizio has now ranked No. 1 in more than several quarters of TV sales-- and ranks consistently among the top brands like Sony, Samsung and Sharp.
In Belgium, the young brand Q-Media has last year cracked the GfK list of best-selling TVs.
All across Europe, new companies are gearing up with Android TV. Last year Netherland's MediaLine won the Best Product Award at RetailVision Europe.
Logitech will be back with Google TV. And rumours still think Apple will make its move in TV.
App developers who look to Connected TV to bring growth similar to mobile apps, should be aware of this wave of new niche and challenger brands of TV. These TV makers will be better partners than big brands and your apps may be featured instead of buried in a pack. Like People of Lava, like Samsung and other big brands, every Connected TV maker will find a need to either aggregate or cooperate with an app aggregator to properly enter the market in Europe.
It's not your father's TV set any more. And it probably won't be the brands your father appreciated. The disruption is just beginning...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Microsoft Wants "App Store" Declared Generic
Microsoft wants the U.S. Patent and Trademark to reject Apple’s 2008 request to trademark “App Store.” That's a nice competitive move if the Seattle giant can prevail over Silicon Valley.
"App Store" is too generic, like a shoe maker trying to claim the rights to "Shoe Store," says the argument against Apple.
"Ah, yes," answers the other side. "But in this case, the App in App Store stands for Apple. After we have built it in our name and made it famous, other folks shouldn't be able to jump onto our bandwagon and adopt it. "
Presumably the others should use "Application Store" as a moniker.
Our opinion: App Store is so flagrantly used that Apple cannot possibly defend it. To defend their claim, Apple would have to attack all press, bloggers etc who use the expressseion indiscriminately. Xerox tried that years ago (before internet) but once the public has the phrase in their head (and on their tongues), you can't hold the dam from breaking. Public use, not Microsoft, puts a phrase into generic use. What Apple can indeed defend is a particular logo that demonstrates ownership.
That's probably how the solons of court will sort the App from the Store...
"App Store" is too generic, like a shoe maker trying to claim the rights to "Shoe Store," says the argument against Apple.
"Ah, yes," answers the other side. "But in this case, the App in App Store stands for Apple. After we have built it in our name and made it famous, other folks shouldn't be able to jump onto our bandwagon and adopt it. "
Presumably the others should use "Application Store" as a moniker.
Our opinion: App Store is so flagrantly used that Apple cannot possibly defend it. To defend their claim, Apple would have to attack all press, bloggers etc who use the expressseion indiscriminately. Xerox tried that years ago (before internet) but once the public has the phrase in their head (and on their tongues), you can't hold the dam from breaking. Public use, not Microsoft, puts a phrase into generic use. What Apple can indeed defend is a particular logo that demonstrates ownership.
That's probably how the solons of court will sort the App from the Store...
Monday, January 10, 2011
Year End Report: How Many Apps are Out There?
Apple App Store for iPhone doubled during 2010 reaching almost 300,000 applications, while the number of applications for the Android Market reached almost 130,000 (6X the Android apps available one year ago). BlackBerry App World (18,000 apps) and Nokia Ovi Store (25,000 apps) both showed triple digit growth in the last year.
No surprise but consumers prefer FREE apps, so developers must experiment with monetization methods other than paid up-front. While the proportion of free applications grew, the average price of the applications also declined for the 100 most popular applications in the Apple App Store for iPhone, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market and Nokia Ovi Store.
The download ratio between FREE and PAID is 10:1. According to Distimo, the top 300 free applications in USA generated, on average, over 3 million downloads each day during December 2010 versus the paid applications 350,000 downloaded daily. Yet paid downloads increased almost 30% more than free downloads in the top 300 (comparing the download figures of December 2010 versus June 2010).
Comparing June to December in USA, the share of revenue generated by in-app purchases from the most grossing free applications more than doubled for both the iPhone and iPad. But the share of revenue generated by in-app purchases from free applications is much smaller on iPad (15%) compared to iPhone (34%).
This Distimo Report confirms what the market instinctively knows: you have to get the consumer's attention and then find a way to monetize. That's makes it a harsh commercial environment, but to thrive as a paid app... you have to be a super-app.
No surprise but consumers prefer FREE apps, so developers must experiment with monetization methods other than paid up-front. While the proportion of free applications grew, the average price of the applications also declined for the 100 most popular applications in the Apple App Store for iPhone, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market and Nokia Ovi Store.
The download ratio between FREE and PAID is 10:1. According to Distimo, the top 300 free applications in USA generated, on average, over 3 million downloads each day during December 2010 versus the paid applications 350,000 downloaded daily. Yet paid downloads increased almost 30% more than free downloads in the top 300 (comparing the download figures of December 2010 versus June 2010).
Comparing June to December in USA, the share of revenue generated by in-app purchases from the most grossing free applications more than doubled for both the iPhone and iPad. But the share of revenue generated by in-app purchases from free applications is much smaller on iPad (15%) compared to iPhone (34%).
This Distimo Report confirms what the market instinctively knows: you have to get the consumer's attention and then find a way to monetize. That's makes it a harsh commercial environment, but to thrive as a paid app... you have to be a super-app.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
300,000 Apps in Just over 3 Years, Says IDC
Application developers have churned out more than 300,000 mobile apps in just over three years, says IDC.
In 2010, mobile apps made the leap from the smartphone to media tablets. In 2011 and beyond, mobile apps will find their way into even more devices, including connected TVs and, by extension, the connected home.
According to a new International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast, the market for mobile applications will continue to accelerate as the number of downloaded apps is expected to increase from 10.9 billion worldwide in 2010 to 76.9 billion in 2014.
Worldwide mobile apps revenues will experience similar growth, surpassing $35 billion in 2014.
"Mobile app developers will 'appify' just about every interaction you can think of in your physical and digital worlds," notes Scott Ellison, VP Mobile and Wireless research at IDC. "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."
These numbers from IDC make other estimates low...
In 2010, mobile apps made the leap from the smartphone to media tablets. In 2011 and beyond, mobile apps will find their way into even more devices, including connected TVs and, by extension, the connected home.
According to a new International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast, the market for mobile applications will continue to accelerate as the number of downloaded apps is expected to increase from 10.9 billion worldwide in 2010 to 76.9 billion in 2014.
Worldwide mobile apps revenues will experience similar growth, surpassing $35 billion in 2014.
"Mobile app developers will 'appify' just about every interaction you can think of in your physical and digital worlds," notes Scott Ellison, VP Mobile and Wireless research at IDC. "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."
These numbers from IDC make other estimates low...
The Citi Never Sleeps But Does It Blink?
According to Citibank’s US Internet Stock 2011 Playbook, Apple will generate as much as $2 billion in gross app revenue in 2011. The report quotes Gartner who projects the total app market hit $4 billion in 2010 and should hit $27 billion by 2013.
The biggest driver now is smart phone penetration. Sales grew 53% in 2010 and Citibank expects it to grow another 29% in 2011 and stay in the mid-20% growth range through 2013. ( Editor's Note: But tablets, hybrid devices, and connected TVs will push the App market even further in 2011-2013.)
The report says Android is already making $1 billion in revenues and Citibank expects that could double next year– surpassing YouTube (and the entire online video category).
But as you'll see by the next post...some analysts think these market numbers are WAY TOO LOW...and if Citibank is not asleep, they must at least blinking to miss this.
The biggest driver now is smart phone penetration. Sales grew 53% in 2010 and Citibank expects it to grow another 29% in 2011 and stay in the mid-20% growth range through 2013. ( Editor's Note: But tablets, hybrid devices, and connected TVs will push the App market even further in 2011-2013.)
The report says Android is already making $1 billion in revenues and Citibank expects that could double next year– surpassing YouTube (and the entire online video category).
But as you'll see by the next post...some analysts think these market numbers are WAY TOO LOW...and if Citibank is not asleep, they must at least blinking to miss this.
Friday, January 7, 2011
In-app Payments 34% of iPhone Apps, Says Distimo
If Apple initially was reluctant to let free app developers explore in-app payments, it was because they didn't expect in-app payments to accounting for so much of the revenue generated for iPhone applications.
According to a new Distimo report, 34% of iPhone app revenue is now coming from "free" apps that charge for extra features after the user is engaged. See chart from SAI....
According to a new Distimo report, 34% of iPhone app revenue is now coming from "free" apps that charge for extra features after the user is engaged. See chart from SAI....
Monday, November 29, 2010
More Than 10,000 Apps for Android Tablets
Archos, the French device maker, says it has more than 10,000 Android apps available via its AppsLibs store, positioned as an alternative to Android Market.
Archos offers a range of its own Android media devices with screens from 2.8" to 10.1". The manufacturer has proven to be a durable and innovative maker of mobile multimedia devices and its initiative in apps is one more proof of its market savvy.
Maybe because its empathy to device makers, its app store has less painful hardware requirements than Android Market e.g.,devices without GPS or integrated cameras are supported without prejudice). AppsLib also supports products with better-spec CPUs, graphics hardware, and memory than standard Android smartphones. It offers payment by PayPal, so apps can be purchased in more than 20 currencies. It supports apps written for tablets with larger displays and screen resolutions.
Go AppsLib
Archos offers a range of its own Android media devices with screens from 2.8" to 10.1". The manufacturer has proven to be a durable and innovative maker of mobile multimedia devices and its initiative in apps is one more proof of its market savvy.
Maybe because its empathy to device makers, its app store has less painful hardware requirements than Android Market e.g.,devices without GPS or integrated cameras are supported without prejudice). AppsLib also supports products with better-spec CPUs, graphics hardware, and memory than standard Android smartphones. It offers payment by PayPal, so apps can be purchased in more than 20 currencies. It supports apps written for tablets with larger displays and screen resolutions.
Sat Oct 30, 2010 1:14 pm 
Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps
1. Deezer (Multimedia)
2. Bluetooth File Transfer (Communication)
3. Talking Tom Cat (Entertainment)
4. Super Mario (Games)
5. Solitaire (Games)
6. YouTube Downloader - VideoBox (Multimedia)
7. eBuddy Messenger (Communication)
8. Aldiko Book Reader (Reference)
9. antivirus (Communication)
10. Little Metal Ball Lite (Games)
1. Deezer (Multimedia)
2. Bluetooth File Transfer (Communication)
3. Talking Tom Cat (Entertainment)
4. Super Mario (Games)
5. Solitaire (Games)
6. YouTube Downloader - VideoBox (Multimedia)
7. eBuddy Messenger (Communication)
8. Aldiko Book Reader (Reference)
9. antivirus (Communication)
10. Little Metal Ball Lite (Games)
Go AppsLib
You Can Develop Brand Apps for Coca-Cola
The GSMA is now accepting entries for its Brand App Challenge, a competition in which mobile application developers create “brand apps” for a select group of global consumer brands, including Coca-Cola (with its Coca-Cola, Coke Zero and Diet Coke brands).
Winners of the Brand App Challenge will be named at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, which will be held 14-17 February, 2011 in Barcelona.
It's a clever way for GSMA to get sponsorship money but an interesting opportunity for developers who want recognition and a calling card to bigger clients.
“The Brand App Challenge will create networking and business opportunities which benefit the brands, application developers and the broader mobile ecosystem,” says Michael O’Hara, CMO at GSMA. “This competition taps the creativity and capabilities of the mobile application developer community to address brand and industry challenges, and we are thrilled to be working with Coca-Cola to help them maximise the power of mobile.”
Developers will compete by creating customised mobile apps for the participating brand sponsors based on the objectives and guidance provided by the individual brands. The apps will address a wide range of mobile operating systems including Android, Apple iOs, BlackBerry OS 6, HP webOS, Symbian and Windows Phone 7.
“With the smartphone revolution, app developers stand at the vanguard of mobile innovation,” said Tom Daly, Group Manager, Strategy & Planning, Global Interactive Marketing Group at The Coca-Cola Company. “Coca-Cola is proud to sponsor the App Challenge and we look forward to seeing how the world's developers leverage the happiness our brands inspire via novel and powerful apps.”
Developers can sign up for the Brand App Challenge via an online portal and then upload a brief video demonstrating their proposed brand app. Each brand will select five finalists who will then compete to become the ultimate winner for the respective brands. Submissions for the Brand App Challenge will be accepted until 10 January and the finalists will be named approximately one month before Mobile World Congress 2011. The Brand App Challenge winners will be announced as part of the Mobile World Congress conference programme and will receive cash awards for their winning efforts.
Monday, October 11, 2010
What 2400 App Developers Really Think
Taken September 14-16, the Appcelerator/IDC Q4 Mobile Developer Report shows while Apple leads in iPhone/iPad interest, developers favor Android in the long-term.
•72% of developers say Android “is best positioned to power a large number and variety of connected devices in the future,” (compared to 25% for iOS). 59% of developers now favor Android’s long-term outlook, vs. 35% for iOS (this gap has widened 10 points since a survey last June).
•Yet Apple iOS continues to dominate in all categories relating to market/revenue opportunity and current devices. iPhone continues to lead overall developer sentiment with 91% saying they are “very interested” in developing for the device (compared to 82% for Android phones).
•Developers show enthusiasm for connected TVs, with 44% saying they are ‘very interested’ in developing for Google TV vs. 40% for Apple TV.
•Android tablets are poised for developer lift-off with 62% expressing strong interest, Android has similar enthusiasm to the iPad at a similar point in time (last January showed iPad at 58%).
•Research shows webOS and BlackBerry tablets currently have little interest from developers (16% for both)...
Developers make significant use of third-party APIs. The study reveals the battles going on behind-the-scenes between these popular developer plug-ins (% of respondents say they currently use or will soon use the following APIs in a mobile application):
•Social: Facebook slightly leading Twitter 65% to 60%, with Foursquare trailing at 22%.
•Commerce: iOS in-app purchasing and PayPal payments are also locked 49% to 48% in a head-to-head battle for mobile commerce leadership. Of note, PayPal is nearly as popular as Google Checkout (33%) and Amazon (18%) combined. PayPal also leads iOS in developer popularity in Europe and Asia.
•Media: Use of the camera (58%) far exceeds use of popular photo sharing services Flickr (21%) and TwitPic (19%). Stronger interest in using the camera for barcode scanning (31%) and augmented reality (41%) shows developers have bigger plans for mobile phones than simple photo sharing.•Advertising: iAd (52%) leads AdMob (36%) with developers noting a preference for iAd’s richer ad units and higher click-through rates, even as fill rate remains an issue.
•Analytics: Application analytics (54%) is currently the most popular form of analytics, however there is strong interest in transaction (42%) and geo-analytics (35%) as location and commerce take center stage in mobile.
Four out of five developers say their users prefer native applications to mobile websites because of user experience expectations. When ranking features needed for their apps, developers prioritize native features as most important (% of developers using or planning to use feature):
1.Native user interface (91%)
2.Local database (81%)
3.Push notifications (74%)
4.Web services/Internet connectivity (72%)
5.Geo-location (69%)
6.Facebook integration (65%)
7.Google maps (62%)
8.Twitter integration (60%)
9.Camera support (58%)
10.Filesystem (56%)
11.Application analytics (54%)
12.iAd (52%)
13.Audio/Video playback (50%)
14.iOS in-app payments (49%)
15.PayPal payments (48%)
Go Appcelerator/IDC Study
•72% of developers say Android “is best positioned to power a large number and variety of connected devices in the future,” (compared to 25% for iOS). 59% of developers now favor Android’s long-term outlook, vs. 35% for iOS (this gap has widened 10 points since a survey last June).
•Yet Apple iOS continues to dominate in all categories relating to market/revenue opportunity and current devices. iPhone continues to lead overall developer sentiment with 91% saying they are “very interested” in developing for the device (compared to 82% for Android phones).
•Developers show enthusiasm for connected TVs, with 44% saying they are ‘very interested’ in developing for Google TV vs. 40% for Apple TV.
•Android tablets are poised for developer lift-off with 62% expressing strong interest, Android has similar enthusiasm to the iPad at a similar point in time (last January showed iPad at 58%).
•Research shows webOS and BlackBerry tablets currently have little interest from developers (16% for both)...
Developers make significant use of third-party APIs. The study reveals the battles going on behind-the-scenes between these popular developer plug-ins (% of respondents say they currently use or will soon use the following APIs in a mobile application):
•Social: Facebook slightly leading Twitter 65% to 60%, with Foursquare trailing at 22%.
•Commerce: iOS in-app purchasing and PayPal payments are also locked 49% to 48% in a head-to-head battle for mobile commerce leadership. Of note, PayPal is nearly as popular as Google Checkout (33%) and Amazon (18%) combined. PayPal also leads iOS in developer popularity in Europe and Asia.
•Media: Use of the camera (58%) far exceeds use of popular photo sharing services Flickr (21%) and TwitPic (19%). Stronger interest in using the camera for barcode scanning (31%) and augmented reality (41%) shows developers have bigger plans for mobile phones than simple photo sharing.•Advertising: iAd (52%) leads AdMob (36%) with developers noting a preference for iAd’s richer ad units and higher click-through rates, even as fill rate remains an issue.
•Analytics: Application analytics (54%) is currently the most popular form of analytics, however there is strong interest in transaction (42%) and geo-analytics (35%) as location and commerce take center stage in mobile.
Four out of five developers say their users prefer native applications to mobile websites because of user experience expectations. When ranking features needed for their apps, developers prioritize native features as most important (% of developers using or planning to use feature):
1.Native user interface (91%)
2.Local database (81%)
3.Push notifications (74%)
4.Web services/Internet connectivity (72%)
5.Geo-location (69%)
6.Facebook integration (65%)
7.Google maps (62%)
8.Twitter integration (60%)
9.Camera support (58%)
10.Filesystem (56%)
11.Application analytics (54%)
12.iAd (52%)
13.Audio/Video playback (50%)
14.iOS in-app payments (49%)
15.PayPal payments (48%)
Go Appcelerator/IDC Study
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Amazon Enters the App Store Jungle
It's a no-brainer: Amazon will open an Android app-store business. Press reports say the company has already sent welcome kits to tempt some developers.
Their main competition would be Google’s Android market (about 90,000 apps) and others such as AndSpot and SlideMe who already offer an independent Android app store.
Unlike Apple's App Store (with 250,000 apps), Google allows multiple app stores with Android OS. Independent app stores will compete against each other, using distinct search and user interfaces, greater availability, international appeal and better fiscal deals for developers.
Most app developers will sign up to any distribution channel that can increase the visibility (and sales!) of its apps.
Amazon is not yet revealing much, but (unlike many of the new independents) Amazon brings to the table a huge database of existing customers. It's instant success if Amazon controls this first part of its plan: woo the right developers, and control which apps join to ensure Amazon App Store comes out of the start-up box with an attractive offering.
According to reports, developers will have to pay $100 to sign up, just like the Apple app store requires. And they will want developers of paid apps to give Amazon customers the best deal possible. Like Wal-Mart squeezing hardware vendors, Amazon won't let their customers pay suppliers any sort of premium. It's a volume marketplace and the King of Volume wants low prices (or at least the same price as anywhere else, never higher.)
Amazon could bring value-added features already known to Amazon customers: recommendations, wish lists and deals.
You can bet your Kindle that Amazon will need deals with device makers to get its app store into smartphones, tablets and connected TVs.
This could also create a whole new era for smartphones: an era of bloatware like PCs that come bundled with multiple software trials as many emerging app stores "bribe" hardware vendors with promises, visibility, and...yes, even cash.
No one has yet mentioned Amazon Web Services who already offer a cluster computing service to provide high-performance applications for enterprises that don’t want to build their own. So Amazon's own infrastructure folks already know how to deliver apps via cloud. Not a mass market service but Amazon has B2B apps on one side-- and a mass market business selling books, software and more on the other.
In between the two, Amazon should manage very well in the App Store business.
Go Amazon to Open App Store
Their main competition would be Google’s Android market (about 90,000 apps) and others such as AndSpot and SlideMe who already offer an independent Android app store.
Unlike Apple's App Store (with 250,000 apps), Google allows multiple app stores with Android OS. Independent app stores will compete against each other, using distinct search and user interfaces, greater availability, international appeal and better fiscal deals for developers.
Most app developers will sign up to any distribution channel that can increase the visibility (and sales!) of its apps.
Amazon is not yet revealing much, but (unlike many of the new independents) Amazon brings to the table a huge database of existing customers. It's instant success if Amazon controls this first part of its plan: woo the right developers, and control which apps join to ensure Amazon App Store comes out of the start-up box with an attractive offering.
According to reports, developers will have to pay $100 to sign up, just like the Apple app store requires. And they will want developers of paid apps to give Amazon customers the best deal possible. Like Wal-Mart squeezing hardware vendors, Amazon won't let their customers pay suppliers any sort of premium. It's a volume marketplace and the King of Volume wants low prices (or at least the same price as anywhere else, never higher.)
Amazon could bring value-added features already known to Amazon customers: recommendations, wish lists and deals.
You can bet your Kindle that Amazon will need deals with device makers to get its app store into smartphones, tablets and connected TVs.
This could also create a whole new era for smartphones: an era of bloatware like PCs that come bundled with multiple software trials as many emerging app stores "bribe" hardware vendors with promises, visibility, and...yes, even cash.
No one has yet mentioned Amazon Web Services who already offer a cluster computing service to provide high-performance applications for enterprises that don’t want to build their own. So Amazon's own infrastructure folks already know how to deliver apps via cloud. Not a mass market service but Amazon has B2B apps on one side-- and a mass market business selling books, software and more on the other.
In between the two, Amazon should manage very well in the App Store business.
Go Amazon to Open App Store
Move Over Antennagate: Now We Have "AppGate"
Researchers from Duke University, Penn State University and Intel Labs created a tool called Taintdroid to monitor smartphone applications and their behaviour.
The researchers looked at 30 randomly selected applications and found 66% used sensitive data suspiciously.
TaintDroid revealed 15 of 30 will send users' geographic location to remote advertisement servers. None of the fifteen applications mentions such data collection practice in the user license agreements, if present at all.
The study also found 7of the 30 send a unique phone (hardware) identifier, and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers.
Go Taintdroid
The researchers looked at 30 randomly selected applications and found 66% used sensitive data suspiciously.
TaintDroid revealed 15 of 30 will send users' geographic location to remote advertisement servers. None of the fifteen applications mentions such data collection practice in the user license agreements, if present at all.
The study also found 7of the 30 send a unique phone (hardware) identifier, and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers.
Go Taintdroid
Most Popular Paid Applications in Q3, Says Distimo
Distrimo reports the most popular paid applications in Q3 2010 were:
- Pages (Apple App Store for iPad, by Apple Inc.)
- Angry Birds (Apple App Store for iPhone, by Clickgamer.com)
- BeBuzz – LED Colors and Audible Reminders (BlackBerry App World, by Bellshare GmbH)
- Beautiful Widgets (Google Android Market, by LevelUp Studio)
- ToonWarz (Nokia Ovi Store, by Polarbit)
- mCraig – Mobile Craigslist Browser (Palm App Catalog, by SplashData Inc)
- Meon (Windows Marketplace for Mobile, by Manbolo).
Monday, October 4, 2010
Ovi's Global Expansion in Numbers
For developers creating apps for Ovi Store (taking a shot at that $10 million in prizes), take note: 70 developers have each passed 1 million or more downloads on Ovi Store. Herocraft, (of Farm Frenzy fame) has seen over 10 million downloads from Ovi Store and Offscreen (a range of touchscreen apps) has already seen more than 45 million downloads.
With the number of active Nokia service users now approaching 140 million users worldwide, Ovi says it is making good progress: more, 200,000 new users are signing up to Ovi daily and Ovi Store downloads are now topping 2.3 million per day (that’s 300k more than a couple of weeks ago).
Ovi is now available in 190 countries around the worlds. In India, China and Indonesia, more than 4.7 million people now subscribe to Ovi Life Tools. Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat now have more than 17 million users and Ovi Music packs 11 million tracks across 38 countries.
Go Ovi Global
With the number of active Nokia service users now approaching 140 million users worldwide, Ovi says it is making good progress: more, 200,000 new users are signing up to Ovi daily and Ovi Store downloads are now topping 2.3 million per day (that’s 300k more than a couple of weeks ago).
Ovi is now available in 190 countries around the worlds. In India, China and Indonesia, more than 4.7 million people now subscribe to Ovi Life Tools. Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat now have more than 17 million users and Ovi Music packs 11 million tracks across 38 countries.
Go Ovi Global
What Are the Top Business Apps?
According to GetApp and their September ranking, the Top 10 would be...
The GetApp.com Top 20 Business Apps is based on a composite algorithm that incorporates several criteria, including listing popularity on GetApp.com, number of reviews and comments, social media presence such as Twitter and FaceBook followers, volume and quality of integration points, and input from analyst reports. The ranking is updated monthly.
OK, whenever you try to balance quantitative and qualitative factors, you do get a subjective result. But at least this is a list you can start from and decide for yourself.
Go GetApps Top 20 Business Apps
- NetSuite - Business Management Suite
- SurveyGizmo - Online Surveys
- WorkBooks - CRM
- Net Atlantic - Email Automation
- PipeJump - CRM
- HyperOffice - Collaboration
- WORKetc - CRM & Billing
- LiveBall - Website Optimization
- CompensationXL - HR & Compensation
- RevX Advanced Billing & Customer Care - Billing & Customer Care
The GetApp.com Top 20 Business Apps is based on a composite algorithm that incorporates several criteria, including listing popularity on GetApp.com, number of reviews and comments, social media presence such as Twitter and FaceBook followers, volume and quality of integration points, and input from analyst reports. The ranking is updated monthly.
OK, whenever you try to balance quantitative and qualitative factors, you do get a subjective result. But at least this is a list you can start from and decide for yourself.
Go GetApps Top 20 Business Apps
AT&T for Nokia Developers at CTIA
Nokia and AT&T create a $10 million cash and prize competition for mobile developers. The 2010 Calling All Innovators – No. America developer contest is open to worldwide developers to create apps and games for the Nokia N8 and other Nokia devicesfor No. American consumers.
Finalists for each of the 17 categories will be put forward to a judges from AT&T and Nokia who select 3 winners in each category. Category prize winners will walk away with $150,000 each and grand prize winners will pick up an additional $100,000 and the equivalent $6 million of marketing promotion.
Judges will be looking for new apps which take advantage of the new Symbian OS, the Nokia N8 hardware and the APIs available. There will be six different gaming categories alongside 11 different app categories, including business, entertainment, video and imaging, social networks and location.
Go AT&T and Nokia contest
Going to CTIA in USA this week? Go "AT&T for Nokia Developer Day" free at CTIA attendees.
Finalists for each of the 17 categories will be put forward to a judges from AT&T and Nokia who select 3 winners in each category. Category prize winners will walk away with $150,000 each and grand prize winners will pick up an additional $100,000 and the equivalent $6 million of marketing promotion.
Judges will be looking for new apps which take advantage of the new Symbian OS, the Nokia N8 hardware and the APIs available. There will be six different gaming categories alongside 11 different app categories, including business, entertainment, video and imaging, social networks and location.
Go AT&T and Nokia contest
Going to CTIA in USA this week? Go "AT&T for Nokia Developer Day" free at CTIA attendees.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Having Apps and Using Apps are Not Synonymous
The latest PEW research in USA (you can download a summary via the link) says clearly: having apps and using apps are not synonymous.
Of US adults who have apps on their phones, only about two-thirds of this group (68%) actually use that software. This means that 24% of U.S. adults are active apps users.
Older adult cell phone users in particular do not use the apps that are on their phones, and 1 in 10 adults with a cell phone (11%) are not even sure if their phone is equipped with apps.
Reading the headlines, the media has distorted this report by emphasing only the lack of use of apps. But the report is called THE RISE OF APP CULTURE.
And its conclusion is apps users are younger, more educated, and more affluent than other cell phone users. The apps user population skews male, and is much younger, more affluent, and more educated than other adults. (In USA, the apps-using population also skews slightly Hispanic when compared with other adult cell phone users.)
Those who download apps do so frequently: 53% say their most recent download was in the past 30 days ( and 33% say their last download was in the past week). Looking at all cell phone-using adults in the study, that equals 15% who downloaded apps in the past month and 10% who have downloaded apps in the past week. When you look at cell phone users under age 30, 20% downloaded an app in the past week.
While its US-based research, this free report is worth reading. There is so much to digest that we'll be using it for several news items.
Go PEW INTERNET
Of US adults who have apps on their phones, only about two-thirds of this group (68%) actually use that software. This means that 24% of U.S. adults are active apps users.
Older adult cell phone users in particular do not use the apps that are on their phones, and 1 in 10 adults with a cell phone (11%) are not even sure if their phone is equipped with apps.
Reading the headlines, the media has distorted this report by emphasing only the lack of use of apps. But the report is called THE RISE OF APP CULTURE.
And its conclusion is apps users are younger, more educated, and more affluent than other cell phone users. The apps user population skews male, and is much younger, more affluent, and more educated than other adults. (In USA, the apps-using population also skews slightly Hispanic when compared with other adult cell phone users.)
Those who download apps do so frequently: 53% say their most recent download was in the past 30 days ( and 33% say their last download was in the past week). Looking at all cell phone-using adults in the study, that equals 15% who downloaded apps in the past month and 10% who have downloaded apps in the past week. When you look at cell phone users under age 30, 20% downloaded an app in the past week.
While its US-based research, this free report is worth reading. There is so much to digest that we'll be using it for several news items.
Go PEW INTERNET
More Apps, Less Music Downloads at iTunes
Finnish analyst Asymco says download rates for iOS apps on iTunes will surpass music downloads. Based on data from the updated Music and App Store, the total number of app downloads has already reached the same level as that of songs in less than half the time.
Asymco concludes it took roughly 2.2 years for the App Store to serve 6.3 billion apps. It took about 5 years for the Music Store to reach that level.
Asymco thinks app downloads will overtake song downloads by year’s end as music downloads continue to slow. Asymco says iOS users are currently downloading 17.6 million apps compared to roughly 7.5 million songs per day, on average.
Great research and a clear chart but my favorite bit is in the comment section where it reports "... when the first fart app arrived it was an epiphany for me." lol
Go Asymco
Asymco concludes it took roughly 2.2 years for the App Store to serve 6.3 billion apps. It took about 5 years for the Music Store to reach that level.
Asymco thinks app downloads will overtake song downloads by year’s end as music downloads continue to slow. Asymco says iOS users are currently downloading 17.6 million apps compared to roughly 7.5 million songs per day, on average.
Great research and a clear chart but my favorite bit is in the comment section where it reports "... when the first fart app arrived it was an epiphany for me." lol
Go Asymco
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