More than 60 apps have been downloaded for every iOS device sold
The iTunes App Store is about to reach 10 billion downloads. That makes this a good time to revisit app growth metrics and compare them with the other digital media store that we have data for: the iTunes Music Store.
Context & Ripple Effects
The App Store’s approach to 10 billion downloads follows its two-billion-download milestone in 2009, while the iTunes Music Store had already reached 10 billion song downloads in 2010. The comparison matters because apps are accumulating downloads at a rate of more than 60 per iOS device sold, making software use a central part of the device proposition.
The associated analysis also reports more than $2 billion paid to app developers, tying consumer download volume to a growing developer-facing marketplace rather than a simple measure of handset sales.
First-order effects
- Apple’s App Store becomes a distribution channel with download volume comparable to the iTunes Music Store, while each iOS device sale represents repeated opportunities for developers to reach users.
- App developers gain evidence of substantial per-device software consumption alongside the reported multibillion-dollar payout pool.
Second-order effects
- Developers and media sellers must weigh the App Store against the iTunes Music Store as distinct digital channels: app demand is measured in repeated installations per device, not only individual media purchases.
- Apple’s control of the App Store gives it greater leverage over a developer ecosystem whose economics are increasingly tied to access to iOS users.
Third-order effects
- If downloads continue to rise faster than device sales, competition among mobile platforms will increasingly hinge on the depth of their software ecosystems and the terms offered to developers, not hardware unit sales alone.
The trend: Mobile computing is shifting device value toward platform-controlled software marketplaces, with download intensity becoming a key measure of ecosystem strength.