Vision Mobile has just produced their 6th annual survey of the apps market, entitled “Developer Economics: Ecosystem wars drawing to a close” which is stuffed full of useful information on trends in app development, and is free.
There is so much in there that it is invidious to pick out a few quotes to whet your appetite, however needs must, so here are some, from the introduction:
“Six years on, the mobile ecosystem wars are drawing to a close with Android and iOS capturing over 94% of smartphone sales in Q4 2013. Android continues to dominate Developer Mindshare with 71% of developers that target mobile platforms, developing for Android.”
“There is no such thing as an average developer.”
“The appeal of HTML5 as a priority platform for app development is restricted to those use cases where it excels: cross-screen and cross-platform deployment.”
“Despite the buzz around watches, TVs and thermostats, smartphones are and will remain in the foreseeable future the primary target for app developers. Tablets are very much a “companion” development option; tablets attract 83% of app developers but just 12% of developers target tablets as their primary development screen. Despite the flood of Android tablet sales, 52% of app developers that mainly target tablets, prioritise iOS, with Android coming in a distant second at 28% of app developers.”
“60% of developers are below the “app poverty line”, i.e. earn less than $500 per app per month, according to the latest Developer Economics survey. iOS has a larger “middle class” than Android. Among developers that generate $500 – $10K per app per month, 37% prioritise iOS vs. 25% Android. In-app advertising remains one of most popular revenue models at 26% of app developers, particularly strong on platforms where demand for direct purchases is weak, such as Windows Phone and Android.”
“Contract development was responsible for 56% of the app economy in 2013, as we found in our App Economy Forecasts report. More importantly, contract development is now the most popular revenue model, with 26% of app developers currently developing apps on commission.”
“…iOS maintains its momentous gap with median revenues between $500 and $1000 per app / month, much higher than the median revenues of Android developers ($100 – $200 per app / month). As Android continues to grow in mid- and low-end handset segments, we don’t see the revenues for Android developers catching up with iOS anytime soon.”
“Developers targeting Windows 8 and Windows Phone generate the lowest revenues, with the median being between $1 and $50 per app per month. This indicates that Microsoft’s focus on app catalogue size has attracted a hoard of Hobbyist and Explorer developer segments.”
And there’s tons more – enjoy.
Hat tip to Prof Mike Short for alerting me to this report.
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