In a new report, the Distimo app store research group ( http://www.distimo.com) says the Apple App Store beats the Google Android Market in terms of the total revenue generated by the 200 highest grossing apps. The Apple App Store generates about four times the revenue that is generated in the Google Android Market.
The Distimo report also showed that:
° 2011 was the year where in-app purchases and the freemium business model became one of the most important monetization strategies for developers. Half of the revenue of the 200 top grossing apps in the Apple App Store is now generated by freemium apps. This proportion is even higher in the Google Android Market where 65% of the revenue from the top grossing apps is generated by freemium apps.
° The number of downloads in the Apple App Store for iPhone in China increased drastically during 2011. Comparing the number of Apple App Store downloads in the US with the number of Apple App Store downloads in China, we see that China now generates 30% of the total downloads of these two countries in the Apple App Store for iPhone. The number of downloads generated in the Apple App Store for iPad in China are even closer to those generated in the US: China generates 44% of the iPad downloads of these two countries.
° A dip can be observed in the number of downloads generated in the respective Apple App Stores just prior to the release of a new Apple device, e.g. iPhone or iPad. The number of iPad downloads was at a yearly low in February just before the launch of the new iPad, but they immediately increased again in March. The same happened with the launch of the latest iPhone in October.