A Nielsen report on the state of mobile apps reveals that application users who frequent Apple's App Store download nearly twice as many apps as those who go to the Android Market or the BlackBerry App World Store, while developers also prefer the Apple venue for visibility and revenue.The Nielsen Company, a global information and media firm, claims that “Apps users who go to the Apple App Store tend to download nearly twice as many apps as those who go to the Android Market or the BlackBerry App World Store.”
“They also seem more willing to pay for their apps,” Nielsen reveals.
According to the company, for every two free apps they download, Apple App Store customers typically pay for one.
Android Market and Blackberry App World users report downloading more than 3.5 free apps for every one they buy, Nielsen reports, for comparison.
It adds that BlackBerry customers are the least likely to convert from a ‘lite’ version of an app to a paid version.
“Apps users also have clear preferences when it comes to how they want to pay for mobile apps,” the report (
PDF) adds.
“Given that users’ primary concerns are convenience and security, it is no surprise that they would prefer to have charges appear on their cellphone provider or credit card bills.”
A particularly interesting part of the report concerns advertising, which, according to Nielsen, “is increasingly finding its way into mobile apps, with teenagers being much more receptive than their elders.”
Some 58% of teens say they “always” or “sometimes” look at mobile ads, while men of all ages are more receptive to mobile ads than women, the study showed.
“Only 37% of men say they are not at all likely to respond to an ad on a mobile device, compared to 44% of women,” Nielsen wrote.
Also noteworthy is that application users seem to be drawn to Apple’s model of serving ads, with Nielsen reporting that “apps users would prefer to view mobile ads within an app.”
Still, Android users are more likely to click on an ad within an app. iPhone users are actually the least interested in having ads take them outside of their application, according to Nielsen.
“Approximately one-in-five apps users say they have used a search engine or looked elsewhere online for more information after viewing a mobile advertisement or told someone about the advertised product or service,” the company says.
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