Over 13.4 billion apps were downloaded from the four leading stores in the first quarter, 11 percent more than in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to Canalys. The market researcher looked at Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store and BlackBerry World’s downloads in more than 50 countries. Direct revenue from paid-for apps, subscriptions and in-app purchases grew by 9 percent sequentially to USD 2.2 billion.
Some of the strongest growth was seen in emerging markets, such as South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia, boosted by the growing base of smart device users there. But even mature markets showed robust growth, both in revenue terms and download volumes. In North America, they rose by 8 percent and 6 percent respectively, and in Western Europe, by 8 percent and 10 percent.
Worldwide, Apple’s App Store accounted for the largest indexed proportion of revenue between the four stores, at around 74 percent, while the Google Play store saw the greatest number of downloads, accounting for about 51 percent of the stores’ collective total, with Apple close behind.
