Apple dominated 67% of all smartphone app downloads last year despite claiming just 14% of the overall smartphone market, said analysts Ovum.
However, the Symbian operating system, which is used by Nokia, commanded a 49% share of the smartphone installed base but only generated an estimated 9% of the total applications downloads market.
The report states that in 2015 Apple will generate a relatively modest 22% of app downloads, compared to 19% for Symbian.
Michele Mackenzie, principal analyst at Ovum and co-author of the Mobile Application Download Forecast 2009 to 2015, said: "The iPhone generates the lion’s share of smartphone app downloads but over the period we will see the share of application downloads becoming more equally distributed."
Between 2009 and 2015 Ovum expects Google's Android to increase its smartphone base from 5% to 18% penetration and its mobile application download share from 14% to 26%.
While BlackBerry looks set to lose smartphone share over the forecast period as newer players like Android move in aggressively, it will more than triple its share of the app download market from 5% to 17%.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1015018/Apple-dominance-app-download-market-set-wane/
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Tags: iphone, nokia, symbian, android
Facebook have just made life a little easier for its users! They just released a new mobile app which allows Facebook friends to call each other for free.
The App, which was produced by internet telephony company Vonage, lets users call their Facebook friends using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), providing both parties have the app downloaded. The app will be available on iPhone, Android, and the iPod Touch (for outbound calls only).Vonage Mobile for Facebook is free to download and use and will work across Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks.
Later versions will look to include instant messaging, SMS and the ability to make call to mobile numbers directly from the application. An iPad version is also currently being developed.
Although this app does appear to offer Facebook users a very convenient way to contact their friends, it does raise an unavoidable question: how many of your Facebook friends would you feel comfortable being able to call your mobile phone?
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Lonely Plant has made a move to expand its reach within the digital space, with the launch of a series of augmented reality (AR) apps on Google’s Android Market.The company already has a strong hold in the Apple App Store but wants to expand its mobile readership beyond this one domain.
The Lonely Planet Compass Guide apps use AR and the phone’s GPS features to display local attractions in 25 cities, including Bangkok, London and New York.
Matthew Cashmore, innovation and ecosystem manager at Lonely Planet, said the apps, priced at $4.99 (£3.14), are designed to drive premium revenues for the company, and ruled out any third-party ads.
In addition to the release of the AR city apps, they have recently introduced a discover eBooks series, which profiles areas of interest, on Apple’s iBookstore.
Lonely Plant’s expansion into these new digital arenas demonstrates their commitment to developing innovative and exciting products for their consumers, while at the same time developing their online operations.
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Sales of Android phones have risen by more than 300% since the beginning of 2010! With 1 in 10 mobile contracts sold in the UK now running on Google's mobile operating system.
From the beginning of 2010, most of the UK's major mobile operators have started selling a number of Android based mobile devices, running on Google's Linux-based software. The HTC Desire and HTC Legend are among the devices hailed by critics and consumers alike. HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer of many devices running Android, posted a 41% global sales increase for the first six months of 2010.
"The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name," said GfK analyst Megan Baldock. "Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right."
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Apple had just announced that iPad will be available in Ireland from this Friday, July 23rd. The iPad is the newest Apple device to hit the Irish market and it aims to revolutionise the way we consume media on the go!
iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface.
Those who want to be one the first to get their hands on one in Ireland can purchase the iPad through Apple’s retail stores and also through Apple authorized resellers from Friday!
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Aiming to increase the success of the Android App Market and reduce the gap with the Apple App Store, Google has released a web-based system which it says needs "NO programming knowledge" to write your own app.
The program, known as App Inventor, is attempting to bring app programming and creation to the masses. The web based application makes the whole process simpler by removing the tedious process of writing code and allow users to drag and drop display elements and use blocs to specify the app’s behavior. The creators said that there are blocks available for just about everything you can do with an Android phone, as well as the more depth function calls.
Google said it had been working on the system for a year and were pitched at those with little knowledge of programming.The programming system was developed with the help of computer scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who created a similar coding system known as Open Blocks.
Obviously Google’s main objective in producing the system is to increase the number of apps in the Android App Market and to add allure of their platform. However it will remain to be seen if App Inventor will lead to thousands of useless basic being developed or genuinely useful apps that will allow Android really challenge Apple as the rulers of the App space.
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Women make up nearly half of all iPad users according to consumer research published by Yahoo.
Early research by Yahoo demonstrated that women represented 34% of all iPad users in the first month after launch in April. However, they now make up 49% of the 3m US iPad users.The iPad is most popular with people aged 35-44, who account for 28% of all iPad users.
Ashley Cheng, Yahoo senior target marketing manager, said, “Another notable difference is which properties these users are visiting on the Yahoo network.Traffic to Yahoo Groups, Yahoo Shopping and Yahoo Travel increased 28%, 25%, and 22% respectively.” Source: NMA
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Foursquare are moving things to a higher level with the introduction of a new tool called “Location Layers”. Location layers will effectively tag information onto geographical locations.
To give a clearer picture, say you are near a location that was used in a famous film; you would receive an alert giving you information on that location and its connection with the film! The possibilities are endless for the type information that could integrated, such a live news needs, historical facts and more importantly commercial brand information!
The idea that brands can feed consumers information based on their current location sounds very promising, however foursquare would have to try and prevent it from descending into location information overload…
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