14 DAY TRIAL // Analytical company App Annie has recently conducted a study revealing that Android applications will outsell iOS apps for the first time ever. Apple’s iOS App Store will remain the world’s largest in terms of revenue, but Google’s Play Store and third-party Android app stores combined will generate more revenue than iOS.
Apple’s iOS App Store is expected to generate $40 billion in revenue, while Google’s Play store will bring in $21 billion. Third-party Android app stores like Amazon Appstore and Samsung Galaxy apps are said to produce $20 billion, which combined with the Play Store’s $21 billion will surpass Apple’s estimated revenue sometime this year. In 2016, Google Play generated $17 billion, third-party Android app stores $10 billion and the App Store remained the leader with $34 billion.
By 2021, Apple’s App Store will bring in $60 billion, while Google Play will generate $42 billion and third-party Android stores $36 billion.
The App Store will continue to generate more than the Play Store
However, when it comes to the competition between Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, the former will continue to outsell Google by $20 billion each year until 2021. The study shows that in the next five years, total app sales will grow by 18%, while the region with the highest demand for apps on both Android and iOS will be Asia Pacific, followed by the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Total mobile app downloads are expected to surpass 352 billion in 2012, while consumers are predicted to spend more than $139 billion on purchasing apps from main stores and third-party ones.
Recently, Google has made some changes to its Play Store and introduced a new section that offers a free application every week, very similar to what the App Store provides to its users. Moreover, Apple brought new features for iOS developers, including the option to reply to user reviews and feedback.