It may have felt like the entire world was trying to download iOS 7 all at once yesterday, but that pales in comparison to the number of mobile apps users will download over the next year or two.
Gartner today announced that annual downloads from mobile app stores will reach 102 billion in 2013, nearly twice the 64 billion users racked up last year.
Mobile app revenue will also increase from $18 million in 2012 to $26 billion this year, although free apps are expected to make up a whopping 91 percent of all downloads.
If that isn't depressing enough news for gamers who prefer to pay up-front for their mobile apps, in-app purchases are forecast to account for 48 percent of all revenue by 2017, an 11 percent increase over last year.
Reaching its peak?
Gartner also predicts in-app purchases will account for 17 percent of developer revenue this year, increasing to a hefty 48 percent over the next four years.
Although free apps currently make up 60 percent of the offerings in Apple's iOS App Store and 80 percent for the Android-based Google Play, the party is expected to plateau after next year.
"We expect strong growth in downloads through 2014, but growth is forecast to slow down a bit in later years. Over time [users] accumulate a portfolio of apps they like and stick to, so there will be moderate numbers of downloads in the later years," explained Gartner research director Sandy Shen.
Gartner's Brian Blau calls in-app purchases "a promising and sustainable monetization method" since users only shell out hard-earned cash when they feel it's worth it, which also offers developers additional incentive to create apps with "good design and performance."
- Check out our extensive review of Apple's new iPhone 5S!
Source : techradar[dot]com
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