81m Strong Germany Downloaded 900 Million Phone Apps in 2010

By Siobhan O’Leary

The mobile research firm research2guidance reports that German mobile users downloaded around 900 million apps to their mobile telephones in 2010 — more than double the number of apps downloaded in 2009 (458 million) and nearly 150 million more than were forecasted in September.

But does or will this eventually spell big revenues for app developers? Paid apps currently account for only 12% of total downloads, with smartphone users overwhelmingly opting for free apps. Still, the 110 million paid apps downloaded in 2010 accounted for 357 million euros in revenue — that’s a 92% increase over 2009.

The Apple App Store still leads the way and app store pricing in general seems to have leveled off to an average of €3.26 after years of steady decline.

Commenting on the results to Buchreport, BITKOM [the German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media] board member Friedrich Joussen expressed optimism about the future of app sales in Germany and added that location-based apps are showing particular promise.

About the Author

Siobhan O'Leary

Siobhan O’Leary is a literary agent, translator and writer based in Berlin. She previously worked in the Foreign Rights department of the Crown Publishing Group (Random House) and at the publishing consulting firm Market Partners International.