App Development Up Nearly 3X on iPad Hype

[Paul Daniel Ash]

The launch of the iPad has sparked a surge in iPhone OS app development, according to a report from mobile research firm Flurry Analytics today. January project starts nearly tripled from less than 600 new apps in December to over 1,600, and the firm is attributing the spike to the hype ahead of and immediately following the iPad's unveiling on January 27. The report also holds some caution for developers that rely on in-app ads, with its finding that users get bored with apps very soon after they download them.

Flurry's "Smartphone Industry Pulse" compiles data from 20,000 live applications - registering over 2 billion user sessions each month - on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and J2ME platforms to build a report on mobile industry trends. Growth of development for Android devices continues to be strong, with a steady 25% increase month over month. The upswing in iPhone development widens a gap that had been narrowing in recent months as new Android phones - including the Google-branded Nexus One - hit the market. According to Peter Farago, Flurry’s vice president of marketing, the "recent spike in Apple iPad support has swung the pendulum back in Apple's favor to a level not seen at Flurry in six months."

The report also compared iPhone and Android user retention (how many times a user launched an app that had been launched in the previous seven days), user session frequency, and user session lengths (how often and for how long people ran apps) over a six-month period. The data was virtually identical for iPhone and Android apps. "Our ultimate conclusion is that the content trumps the platform,” Farago wrote.

The retention data shows that the novelty factor rules most app usage patterns. Within one month of installing an app on their iPhone or Android smartphone, only 15% of people keep using it. And after six months, only 5% of users are still interested.

[The Maestro]

Nice I've been working on my game for almost a year now by the time I get into the app store no one will know it exists

[tudtran]

Wow. I thought the iPad is a disappointment. Maybe this is the new trent.

[ajl917]

Wow. I thought the iPad is a disappointment. Maybe this is the new trent.

Exactly. When the App Store was introduced to the iPhone, it was pretty lame because there werent many apps, but because of developers, they created an extremely strong reason to buy an iPhone. Developers will do the same thing for the iPad bringing apps exclusive to the iPad and will help it succeed in the market...

[StealthBravo]

I know all the devs I talk to are very excited about it

[GadgetX]

This is what the iPad needs to be a truly great device. On the surface it may not appear to offer as much as most people anticipated (hence the widespread disappointment) but with the proper apps it really could do just about anything everyones been ******** about. Okay maybe not multitasking and camera support but just about everything else.

[Melech518]

I know all the devs I talk to are very excited about it

We are working around the clock over here on some amazing productivity apps! I know myself and my team are extremely excited about what we will be submitting!!

[tudtran]

Nice this is good news for the customers

[rhekt]

excited to see what comes out