Android Smartphone App Downloads Predicted To Surpass iOS In 2013

According to analysts at ABI Research, Android will surpass iOS in smartphone app downloads during this year. The report forecasts that 58% of smartphone app downloads this year will be Android apps, while iOS will get only 33% share. However, if you also include tablet app downloads in the forecast, Apple will stay on top.

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The firm suggests that out of 56 billion smartphone apps that are expected to be downloaded in 2013, majority will be either iOS or Android-based. ABI analysts are also claiming that Android now has a bigger piece of the overall smartphone market worldwide, and they’re expecting that this trend will continue this year. However, Apple continues to be the revenue leader when it comes to how developers are monetizing their applications both as paid apps as well as through in-app purchases.

ABI also says today that iOS has the lead in tablet app downloads – another reason why the Android-first predication seems a little shaky. Of the around 14 billion tablet apps it’s expecting in 2013, 75 percent will be for the iPad, with Android (excluding the Kindle Fire) accounting for just 17 percent. Amazon will see around 4 percent market share here, and Windows tablets will barely eek out 2 percent, the firm claims.

The report also highlights that new developers are still gravitating towards the Apple App Store as compared to Google Play when it comes to their revenue generation efforts.

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