Apple’s App Store customers spend $41.5bn in H1
01 September, 2021
Consumers spent about $41.5 billion on apps downloaded from Apple’s App Store during the first six months of the year, up almost 22.5 per cent compared to the prior year period, the latest report from market analysis portal Finbold showed.
App Store spending during the January-June period is almost double the $23.4bn spent by consumers on apps from Android operating system’s Google Play, said the report, which is based on data compiled by marketing intelligence firm SensorTower.
The Google Play spending represents an annual growth of 30 per cent, the report said.
“The App Store spending has remained significant, [but] Google Play appears to be catching up by recording the highest growth rate between H1 2020 and H1 2021,” it added.
“Although iOS [Apple’s iPhone operating system] remained dominant, Android flourished as the pandemic remained persistent in countries with an Android-dense population,” the report said.
Apps have become more popular following coronavirus-related travel restrictions and lockdowns. Besides entertainment, developers have found new ways to keep people connected and help them learn and work from home.
Although Google’s Play store has more subscribers — as Samsung, Huawei and many other manufacturers use its Android platform — Apple’s App Store generated more sales.
There are more than 2.5 billion active Android devices, with the platform supporting both premium and budget-conscious devices, Google said. Last year, Apple stated it had 1.5 billion active devices, a jump from 1.4 billion devices in 2019.
ByteDance-owned short video sharing platform TikTok became the highest-grossing app for the first half at $920m, the Finbold report said. It was followed by YouTube at $564.7m, and dating app Tinder came in third at $520.3m.
In the future, consumers are likely to spend more as developers leverage new technologies such as 5G, which is gaining traction globally, the report said.
“Based on the established trend over the last two years, it is likely the spending will keep increasing as players in the sector aim to offer the best experience.
“Due to the onset of new technologies such as cloud streaming, apps in sectors like gaming are likely to experience further growth. This ability is aided by factors like the increasing penetration of 5G technology in leading markets,” it added.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com