Despite a blockbuster first quarter at the end of 2011 in which the Kindle Fire added more than 15,000 apps, the Fire’s growth has slowed considerably, with just more than 6,000 apps added this quarter, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com).
In fact, the Apple App Store and Android market has lost 2% market share to newcomers recently, says the research group. Now as Amazon eyes international expansion, its decision to experiment with in-app payments will play a critical role for developers next quarter.
“While developers know that they must support iOS and Android, they are beginning to make decisions about which other platforms deserve their support,” Josh Martin, director of Apps Research for Strategy Analytics, says. “Windows Phone and BlackBerry continue to battle for third position. Windows is beginning to edge out BlackBerry in new apps added and total library size. With Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 looming, the war is just beginning.”