Apple App Store Generates Four Times More Revenue than Android Market

Since it’s coming up to the end of the year, more and more groups are releasing their end of year reports on every possible area imaginable. The next area to get the treatment are smartphones, or more specifically the number of apps found with each device.

An end of year report from app market analysts Distimo, has found that Apple are heads and shoulders above its nearest rival, Google Android, in the number of apps downloaded from its store.

Distimo found that the top 200 apps in the App Store for iPhone alone had generated four times more revenue than the top 200 apps in the Google Android Market in the US in 2011. Another important trend that it found was the growing popularity of freemium apps – apps that are free to download but earn revenue from in-app purchases – among not only developers but also consumers.

Other interesting facts include that, despite only releasing a tablet platform recently and not having a smartphone platform, Amazon has the most apps available per month with almost 450,000 new apps available. Google Android follows closely with almost 350,000 available and the iPad with 150,000.

The market to experience largest relative growth was Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Marketplace which grew by more than 400 per cent. Combined, the seven major app stores now offer more than one million apps.

Overall the App Store for iPhone has the largest number of available apps in the US followed by the Android Market and the App Store for iPad. RIM’s Blackberry App World overtook Nokia’s Ovi Store while The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace and the Amazon Appstore are sixth and seventh on the list.