If there was any doubt about just how much there is to be made in the smartphone app market, perhaps recent research by Research2guidance, a Berlin-based research company that focuses on the mobile space, might change minds. According to Research2guidance, the worldwide smartphone app market hit $2.2 billion during the first half of 2010 – and it’s only poised to grow as the popularity of smartphones rises exponentially.
Just how much are smartphone apps growing in terms of usage and popularity? According to TechCrunch:
Also according to research2guidance’s findings, mobile application download numbers reached a total of 3.8 billion in the first semester of this year, compared to 3.1 billion in 2009 (full year, to be clear).
The firm attributes the strong growth numbers to the success of Apple’s App Store, Android Market and other mobile app stores like Ovi Store and Blackberry’s App World.
Mobile app downloads during the first half of this year exceeded the grand total for 2009 which is amazing. Research2guidance also predicts that by 2013, the smartphone app market business will be worth $15 billion worldwide. While that number sounds extraordinarily high, it also happens to be conservative compared to forecasts by other research firms. GetJar, for example, has predicted that the market will exceed $17.5 billion by 2012.
Not only are applications being cranked out at a growing rate, but smartphone usage is growing worldwide, too. App stores accompanying the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry platforms lead the way, but other niche markets will continue to grow, too. According to Research2guidance, by 2013 there will be over 1 billion smartphone users globally.
[Via: TechCrunch]