Apple's App Store Still Number One in Revenue Despite Google Play Growth

[iSee]

Wow skip over the fact google has seen HUGE growth !!!

That's the first thing that jumped out at me. Not sure what you mean by that.

As a software developer, I'm glad to see Android numbers getting respectable.

(I pick up mobile development side jobs, especially for Android since my main client has in-house iOS developers.)

It does seem to be a different beast, though. For one port job I did, the original iOS version has made around 50K. The Android version, about $100.

 

[Gus Van Der Mee]

It does seem to be a different beast, though. For one port job I did, the original iOS version has made around 50K. The Android version, about $100.

Totally worth it right?

 

[BaldiMac]

You know that more than half of Android devices doesn't have Google services, don't you?

Source?

Google announced 900 million activations on May 15, so they are probably around 1 billion now. Your statement would seem to imply over 2 billion Android devices have been shipped.

IDC has estimated 1.2 billion Android smartphones shipped through Jun 30. Throw in another 100 million Android tablets, and we're still not anywhere close.

 

[absurdamerica]

Make that two math 101 problems.

Well with that impressive fact based counterpoint, I'm convinced I was totally wrong.

Why do you even bother to post if this is the quality of them?

 

[I.Love.Apple]

It's not hard to grow exponentially when you are starting at the bottom (relative to a huge Apple head-start). Nothing stunning or surprising about these statistics.

Did you miss the fact that people actually download more stuff from Google Play than they do from App Store? Also, the difference in store revenue does not tell the whole story. Most Android apps are free/ad supported. In this case, the developers get money from the advertisers. This money is not counted as store revenue but it feeds the ecosystem just the same.

 

[iSee]

Totally worth it right?

Heh, yeah... I mean, I got paid, but that client isn't exactly chomping at the bit to do more Android.

I'll dig into the numbers when I have more time, but I wonder if they account for revenue from (1) initial purchase, (2) IAP or other content purchased through the app, and (3) ad revenue.

 

[Michael Scrip]

You know that more than half of Android devices doesn't have Google services, don't you?

I would suspect that a lot of those Android phones are being purchased in emerging markets where Google Play has little or no content available to buy other than cheap apps.

Interesting!

So would you say many Android phones are being used simply as feature phones?

Or are there a lot of localized app stores that we don't know about?

 

[Gemütlichkeit]

Competition... goood!

 

[PracticalMac]

I am surprised Japan is going with Android.

I can only guess it is because the national handset makers are going with Android OS over in house designs.

 

[maxosx]

Interesting!

So would you say many Android phones are being used simply as feature phones?

Or are there a lot of localized app stores that we don't know about?

True, it is interesting.

I wonder how the silence will be handled if Apple falls off its perch & can no longer brag about being number one.

Much of what Apple talks about is how wonderful they are. Sooner or later that will change. History proves that.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Thanks for typing out all those numbers, but it is irrelevant. The fact remains:

A smart guy liked to use this Wayne Gretzky quote,
"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been"

Apple had the puck but Forstall sat on it for 5 years. The puck is now going toward Android at a high velocity.

I won't be surprised when Android finally passes the App Store in revenue, developer payouts, downloads, etc.

The sheer volume of Android devices out in the world compared to iOS devices is staggering. It only makes sense that is will happen.

The smartphone market is 80% Android... 13% iPhone... you think it would have happened by now though...

 

[PracticalMac]

It does seem to be a different beast, though. For one port job I did, the original iOS version has made around 50K. The Android version, about $100.

Net, or Gross?

 

[huggyb]

Yarrr, avast matey! <---- that's what's going on

I have to say, all my friends that use android don't pay for their apps since it's so easy to sideload cracked apps. why pay?

 

[Nungster]

I've seen the same thing in other "games" on the App Store.

Terrible.

Why is it terrible, when the creators want to get paid for their work? Considering how much entertainment people get from playing, it is money well spent.

----------

I have to say, all my friends that use android don't pay for their apps since it's so easy to sideload cracked apps. why pay?

Because it is stealing.

 

[TWSS37]

I am surprised Japan is going with Android.

I can only guess it is because the national handset makers are going with Android OS over in house designs.

Why? Historically, consumer electronics in Japan have always been popular based on companies based out of Japan and Sony makes Android devices.

Not to mention, Japan is wayyyyyyyy in advance of the US in terms of NFC capabilities for many daily life activities, such as subway fares and vending machines. Apple doesn't have anything NFC.

Not saying this accounts for all of Android usage in Japan, but the fact that Japan isn't using an American company with limited tech isn't surprising at all.

 

[PracticalMac]

Just remembered.

Seeing a LOT of Japanese drama (wife, I just occasionally look over), and everything I see is Android tablets. I do see iPhone on occasion, not one iPad.

Irony is, the iMac and MacBook is rather common to see, just not the iOS stuff.

 

[Michael Scrip]

True, it is interesting.

I wonder how the silence will be handled if Apple falls off its perch & can no longer brag about being number one.

Much of what Apple talks about is how wonderful they are. Sooner or later that will change. History proves that.

People will have to find something else to brag about.

Or... god forbid... Apple can just be #2 at something.

At least they would be better than #3

 

[Nungster]

True, it is interesting.

I wonder how the silence will be handled if Apple falls off its perch & can no longer brag about being number one.

Much of what Apple talks about is how wonderful they are. Sooner or later that will change. History proves that.

When that happens, we will all already be on the next best thing. Sans Apple App Store, Sans Google Play.

How will Google Play beat in revenues when so many users just pirate developer's software? (per previous comments on Android piracy)

 

[Oletros]

How will Google Play beat in revenues when so many users just pirate developer's software? (per previous comments on Android piracy)

The 67% growth in revenue is not for pirating apps

 

[PracticalMac]

Why? Historically, consumer electronics in Japan have always been popular based on companies based out of Japan and Sony makes Android devices.

Not to mention, Japan is wayyyyyyyy in advance of the US in terms of NFC capabilities for many daily life activities, such as subway fares and vending machines. Apple doesn't have anything NFC.

Not saying this accounts for all of Android usage in Japan, but the fact that Japan isn't using an American company with limited tech isn't surprising at all.

You missed what I said.

The Japanese have plenty of top quality phones that run their own OS.
I am guessing they are starting to use Android as the OS instead of in house OS for their phones.
Japanese seem to prefer traditional big-screen flip style, with keyboard, over the simple one piece iPhone deign.

 

[maxosx]

When that happens, we will all already be on the next best thing. Sans Apple App Store, Sans Google Play.

How will Google Play beat in revenues when so many users just pirate developer's software? (per previous comments on Android piracy)

I admire your tailored logic.

 

[xNYMetsx]

Make that two math 101 problems.

Read the chart, Google's growth rate is higher than Apple's.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Ah the shipped quote...so silly and funny how people cling to this metric.

HP shipped 1 million Touchpads ya know and sold 25k.

They couldn't have sold 187 million Android phones in Q2 if they hadn't first gotten rid of the 163 million in Q1, right?

Those phones are going somewhere. I'm assuming it's to actual paying customers.

Unless there's wormhole in the warehouse.

Or all those Android phones are going to the landfill in New Mexico next to the E.T cartridges.

 

[JAT]

Google Play's apps aren't garbage, they're just as good, if not better. As you can see by the first chart, Google is catching up, fast.

A lot of it is the hardware, making it seem like the apps are garbage. So many Androids are low-end Androids that apps are not smooth. Apple's only low-end devices are old devices. While there are high-end Android devices, they tend to cost as much as Apple's, and miss the giant cheapskate crowd.

 

[cgc]

Funny how they show Google Play sales as one entity but break up Apple sales into iPhone and iPad...kind of unfair.