The Mobile Applications Market 2010-2015

• Publication date: March 2010

Since the opening of the Apple Store, Apple, entrepreneurs and other companies have proven that mobile applications can not only be saleable, but that the best can become phenomena and superb revenue makers. The mobile applications market is estimated to be worth around $25 billion by 2015. However, the economic meltdown has resulted in some big names within the applications and telecoms industry to shutdown recently and the fears of the a...

Since the opening of the Apple Store, Apple, entrepreneurs and other companies have proven that mobile applications can not only be saleable, but that the best can become phenomena and superb revenue makers.

The mobile applications market is estimated to be worth around $25 billion by 2015. However, the economic meltdown has resulted in some big names within the applications and telecoms industry to shutdown recently and the fears of the aftermath of a recession are still on the clouds. Analysts have agreed on the fact that the recession slowed down the growth of the apps store and the apps industry. Had there been no recession in the last few years, it can be argued that the Mobile apps industry would have been propagated on a larger scale compared to the current situation.

The success of the apps store has given another ray of light to the mobile industry, which was once called limited - with respect to operators where the fears of declining ARPU and restricted growth in VAS were ever growing.

Network operators are thriving to increase their ARPU by introducing advanced voice and text services and the phenomena of the mobile apps store could be the answer to this. Operators are always looking to offer their customers something extra which would reduce churn and increase ROI with only minimal costs involved.

Apple has claimed that there were 2.5 billion downloads last year from its site, making the iPhone creator giant the top name when it comes to apps market share.
Statistics revealed that Apple accumulates an estimated 99 per cent of apps market share. However new players are entering into the market more often now then before, it is still evident from the analysis that Apple will remain the market leader in the future.

Who should buy this report?

This exclusive 100+ page management report is written to assist decision makers in the mobile apps sector and is a key source of information to strategy directions and their technological development. The report focuses on:

• Decision makers in existing app stores.
• Decision makers in future apps stores.
• Decision makers in upcoming app technology.
• Decision makers in the apps development sector.
• Decision makers in the mobile network operating sectors.

Global Online Broadcasting Industry

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
E1. Is mobile apps a recession proof industry?
E2. Future battleground for developers
E3. Opportunity for operators
E4. Apple by far the market leader

1. The Growth of Smartphone and Mobile Data Markets
1.1 Patterns in Consumer Demand
1.2 Emerging from Recession
Chart 1: Mobile Handsets industry and the effects of recession
1.3 An increasing role for third-party applications
1.4 Shifting Momentum: Emerging value chain dynamics

2. Successful App Store Models: Driving the Emerging Craze
2.1 The iTunes App Store
Figure 1: iTunes AppStore: Desktop and Handheld (iPhone and iPod Touch) views
2.1.1 AppStore as a Handset Sales Driver
Chart 2: Quarterly sales increment for Apple
2.1.2 Key Success Factors
Chart 3: Apple’s revenue since september 2007
2.1.2.1 Attracting Developers
Figure 2: New Developers ratio in App’s store
2.1.2.2 Proliferation in Applications
2.1.2.3 Effectively Managing the App Store business Model and Policy
Chart 4: Apps store download statistics
2.1.2.4 Available Applications
2.1.3 The iTunes App Store as the remaining source of competitive advantage for the iPhone platform
Chart 5: Categories and percentage in the ITunes Apps
Chart 6: Number of apps per category in the ITunes
2.2 Android Market
Chart 7: Android Market download statistics
2.2.1 Advantages for operators
Chart 8: Android Device Sales by 2015
2.2.2 Android Market Business Model to the consumer
2.2.3 Initial Market Impact of the Google/Android Business Model
2.2.4 Android as an enabler for mobile search, LBS and user defined content
2.2.5 Other Priorities for Google: Championing the Web App and HTML5
2.2.6 Android Market and the Risk of Platform Fragmentation
2.2.7 Android App Stats and Trends
2.3 BlackBerry App World
2.3.1 BlackBerry App World Business Model and App Categories
2.3.2 Fixing the Declining Competitive Advantage for RIM
Chart 9: Price Variation in LBS for Blackberry
2.4 Nokia Ovi Store
2.5 Microsoft Windows Marketplace
2.6 Palm Pre App Catalog
2.7 Symbian Horizon
2.8 LG Application Store

3. Third Party Platform App Stores
3.1 Getjar
3.1.1 Getjar Innovation in Business Model
Chart 10: Weekly Downloads on GetJar
3.2 Handango
3.3 Handmark
3.4 AppsLib
3.5 Operator Offerings
3.5.1 RIM opens blackberry apps store
3.5.2 Nokia's Ovi store
3.5.3 T-Mobile's effort
3.5.4 Airtel app

4 Evolving role of market actors and the ecosystem
4.1 Handset/OS manufacturers
4.1.1 Unexpected Growth Phenomenon - Fortuitous development spurs change of focus at Apple
4.1.2 Reasons behind Demand
4.1.3 Marketplace by Improvisation and Spontaneous Design
4.1.4 Superior Retail Experience
4.2 Developers
4.2.1 Benefits of Single Platform (Openness vs. market access)
4.2.2 Low Barriers to Entry
4.2.3 Business model favorable to develop revenue potential
4.2.4 Marketing Strategies for Apps
4.2.5 Emerging Business Models for Developers
4.3 Operators
4.3.1 Chinese Market for Apps stores
4.3.2 Orange's App store and SHOP4APPS
4.4 Current Trends
4.4.1. Consumer market response
4.4.2. Bottom Market in Popularity among Applications
4.4.3 Pricing Trends
4.4.4 Download and usage trends
4.4.5 Shortened Product and Sales Lifecycles for Apps

5. App Store models and native apps: Downside risks and disadvantages
5.1 High risk, imbalanced market opportunity in a less than even playing field
5.1.1. The discoverability and swamp factor
5.1.1.1 Social networks
5.1.1.2 App aggregators
5.1.1.3 App review sites
5.1.1.4 Magazines
5.1.1.5 Cross platform appstores
5.1.1.6 Apple Advertising
5.2 Restrictive business practices
5.2.1. Apple iTunes Approvals Process and Transparency
5.2.2 Android Market: Market size could be limited by App Store App restrictions
5.3 Consequences of low barriers to entry
5.4 Fragmentation and cost factors
5.5 App maintenance and updates
5.6 How long will App Stores remain commercially viable?

6. Potential and Current Constraints for Web App models
6.1. Potential for Apps
6.1.1. Cost Advantages on the development side
6.1.1.1 Genuine cross-platform deployment
6.1.1.2 Global availability and non-installation
6.1.1.3 Do web platforms have the potential to eventually supplant native app stores?
6.1.1.4 New business models and ways of monetization
6.1.1.5 Wide audience and direct customer relationship
6.1.1.5 Economies of Scale
6.1.1.6 Taking advantage of increased bandwidth with 4G
6.2. Constraints
6.2.1. Safety issues
6.2.3 Discoverability
6.2.4 Speed limitation
6.2.5. Agreement on Standards
6.2.6 Advertising models' limits and vulnerability to adverse macroeconomic shocks
6.2.7 Relationship between End-to-end Bandwidth availability, operational and deployment cost, and Declining Price Points
6.2.8 Security and hacking
6.3 Web app strategies among market actors
6.3.1 Apple and MobileSafari: Behind the scenes for the iPhone
6.3.2 Google Chrome and Android Frameworks

7. Future exploitation and conclusion
7.1. Centralised or decentralised, that's the question
7.2. The Changing Face Tech sector competition: Apple vs Google vs Facebook
7.3 Is Apple also looking towards web apps?
7.4. Increasing Penetration from Declining Prices
7.5 New Battle Front Opening between Google and Apple
7.6 Native apps Vs. Web apps
7.7 Bleak future for Apps according to Google
7.8 Sony and PSP
7.9 Microsoft's new strategy
7.10 Changing the future of Aerospace
Chart 11: Flight control statistics by Firemint 


Companies Listed

ABC
Acer
AdMob
Advertising Standards Authority
Airtel
Amazon
Android
Animoto
AOL
Apple Corps
Apple Inc
appMobi
Appsfire
Appshopper
Appssavvy
Appspot
Apptism
AppsLib
ASUS
AT&T
BBC
Beeline
Bharti Airtel
BlackBerry
Canalys
CBS
Cellular News
China Mobile
China Unicom
China Telecom
Claro
Comcel
Comscore
Copyright Royalty Board
Crossfire Media
CTI Movil
Digg
Dell
Dolby
EMT
ERA
Ericsson
European Union
Evernote
Facebook
Featured Artists Coalition
Fido
FierceWireless
firefox
FlyCast
Froogloid
Formula 1
FOX
gamejump
Gartner
GetJar
Globe
Google
Goo Music
GSA
GSM Trade Body
handango
Handmark
HTC
Lala
LG
Linux
linkedin
LMT
LockerGnome
Macworld
McLaren
MediaSync
Megafon
Microsoft
Mobihand
mobilePeople
Mobinil
Molinker
Multimap
Mobclix
MORA.jp
Motorola
Movistar
MTS
Napster
NBC
Netcom
NEOWING.co.jp
Nielsen Mobile
Nokia
NTT Docomo
NVIDIA
O2
O2 Litmus
Omnitel
Optimus
Optus
Orange
Palm
Packet Video
pastrykit
Porta
Prada
Pinch Media
Psion
PSP
Qik
Quattro
Reddit
Rhythm NewMedia
RIM
Rogers
Safari
Samsung
Singtel
Skyhook wireless
Skype
Softbank
Sonera
Sony
Sony BMG Music
Sony Ericsson
Sprint
starbucks
Stumbleupon
Swisscom
Symbian
Telcel
Telstra
The Carphone warehouse
The NPD Group
Time Magazine
TIM SAE
TMC
T-Mobile
Turkcell
Ufone
US Department of Justice
UTAMAP.com
UTANET.com
Verizon Wireless
VIVO
VODACOM
Vodafone
Vox Mobile
Yahoo!
YouTube