When the App Store first came to fruition in 2008, the majority of new apps that were released were paid apps. Since then, the times seemed to have change as more and more app developers are electing to go with free or freemium models rather than charging users to download their app. Appsfire recently posted their 2012: A Year In The App Store review that analyzed the 1 million apps that have been sold in the App Store and they found that only 34% apps released in 2012 were paid apps, a number which was down from 74% in 2008.
Most developers are apparently looking to support their apps via ads or in-app purchases, however there has been some debates among developers as to whether either of these models are sustainable. Appsfire says that 339,163 apps were created in 2012, with 95,468 new developers joining the App Store.
According to the study, over 25% of the apps submitted and approved have been pulled, which signals the maturation of the App Store market as the functionality of apps overlap each other and become irrelevant. The biggest problem that many app developers seem to struggle with is discovery. Only 1,000 apps reached the top ranks of the App Store in 2012 while over 600,000 apps never got substantial traction. Although games represent a small fraction of the total number of apps in the App Store, with less than 17%, they actually comprise a majority of the apps that appear in the top 10.
It’s pretty interesting to see how the App Store and app development as a whole has evolved since it began.
Source: Appsfire via The Next Web
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