Archive for the ‘android’ Category
2011: A Look Back at the Rise of Tablet Devices
posted by Terri KimIn 2011, there were tablets that flunked- HP TouchPad, RIM Blackberry Playbook, and the Motorola Xoom (just to name a few); there were tablets that beat the odds and flourished- Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook; and there were those that remained leaders, most notably the Apple iPad followed by the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that Apple continued to lead the way in the tablet race with 64% tablet market share, followed by Android who captured around 35% market share in 2011, on average. Compare these figures to the previous year when Apple captured around 85% of the market.
And while Android tablet devices, most notably the recently released Kindle Fire, continue to gain in popularity this year, iPads continue to dominate tablet web traffic. According to comScore, 97.2% of all tablet traffic in the US came from iPads in 2011, a number slightly higher than the amount of Internet traffic from iPhones.
So what were users doing on their tablets in 2011? According to AdMob (Google), tablets were used primarily for 1) Playing games; 2) Searching for info on the Web; and 3) Emailing. Other activities included shopping, reading e-books, and consuming entertainment. The study also found that 43% of tablet users spend more time on their tablets than on their desktops/laptops.
It’s an understatement to say that tablets are growing in popularity. In 2010, there were 17.4 million tablet shipments. The following year, the number of tablet shipments more than quadrupled with 72 million tablets shipped worldwide. In 2012, it is estimated that tablet shipments will grow to 95 million units, surpassing netbook sales; and in 2015- 262.1 million units, a 1,442% increase in 5 years.
With the tablet market predicted to surpass $2 billion in worth by the end of 2012, the competition for a piece of the tablet market will be more intense than ever before.
2011: Top 10 Facts about the US Smartphone Market
posted by Terri Kim2011 was a dynamic year of growth for mobile. The following 10 facts summarize the highlights of the US smartphone industry in 2011:
1. By the end of November, there were over 234 million Americans (age 13 and older) who used mobile devices.
2. Over 91.4 million people owned smartphones in the US compared to the 63.2 million in 2010, an increase of over 44% (study by comScore).
3. Smartphone penetration in the US was close to 44%, up from 25% in 2010.
4. Over 62% of 25-34 year olds who owned mobile phones owned smartphones in 2011, up from 41% in 2010. Following behind, 54% of 18-24 year olds owned smartphones in 2011 (study by Nielsen).
5. Google Android was the most popular OS claiming 46% market share, followed by Apple iOS with 28%.
6. The Apple iPhone was the most sought-after smartphone device based on the fact that the only phones that are powered by iOS are iPhones. In the third quarter of 2011, the top 3 best-selling phones in the US were the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and HTC EVO 4G, according to The NPD Group.
7. Close to 7% of all US Web traffic was from smartphones and tablets, with smartphones accounting for about 2/3 of this figure (study by comScore). iOS devices accounted for around 58% of non-computer online traffic while Android accounted for 32%.
8. In 2011, the most popular activity amongst smartphone users was texting or messaging (70%), followed by emailing (60%), social networking (50%), talking on the phone (43%), and then surfing the Web (40%) (study by CloudTalk).
9. 38% of mobile subscribers downloaded apps. Among the smartphone users who downloaded apps, 83% had either an Android or iPhone device.
10. In December 2011, an average of 1.5 million smartphones were downloaded each day. On December 25th, however, it was estimated that more than 6.8 million iOS & Android devices were activated (study from Flurry).
The smartphone industry flourished in 2011, and will continue to experience growth in the new year; it is predicted that smartphones will outsell PCs in 2012 (according to multiple industry sources). So here’s to another great year in mobile!
2011: A Look Back at the Leading Mobile App Stores
posted by Terri KimIt’s been an exciting year for mobile with milestones and developments aplenty, and as the year comes to an end, we’d like to reflect back on some of the highlights of the mobile industry. First, let’s take a closer look at the two leading app marketplaces- the Apple App Store and Android Market.
Today, there are more than 1 million apps in the major app stores, according to Mobilewalla, with Apple App Store and Android Market accounting for around 91%. The App Store leads with over 590,000 apps, followed closely behind by Android Market with over 380,000 apps. Apps in Amazon Appstore, Blackberry App World, Nokia Ovi Store, and Windows Phone Marketplace account for the remaining 9% of apps.
Image courtesy of Apple
Apple App Store
The popularity of apps has grown tremendously in a short period of time. It was only three years ago in July 2008 that Apple released their App Store, the first of its kind, with 500 apps and 0 downloads. In one year, the App Store grew over 10,000% to have over 55,000 apps and over 1 billion downloads. And in two years, the App Store grew to have over 225,000 apps and over 5 billion downloads. In July 2011, the App Store had over 425,000 apps and over 15 billion downloads worldwide. According to Mobilewalla, an average of 745 apps are released daily.
Currently, there are over 590,000 apps which have been downloaded over 18 billion times in the App Store- an increase of 162% and 260% in App Store size and downloads, respectively, in a little over a year.
Image courtesy of Google
Android Market
Android Market, on the other hand, was released by Google in October 2008. In March 2009, Android Market had around 2,300 apps available. A little over a year later in August 2010, there were over 80,000 apps available and 1 billion downloads. In July 2011, the Android Market grew to 250,000 apps and over 6 billion downloads. 543 apps on average are released daily, according to Mobilewalla.
Currently, there are over 380,000 apps and over 10 billion downloads in the Android Market- an increase of 375% and 900% in Android Market size and downloads, respectively, in a little over a year.
Free Apps
While the App Store leads in the number of apps and downloads, Android Market is a leader in free apps. Out of the hundreds of thousands of apps in the Android Market, over 67% are free compared to the 37% of apps in the App Store. In fact, Windows Phone Marketplace follows behind the Android Market with 52%.
Revenue
A recent study conducted by Distimo, an app store analytics firm, found that iPhone apps in the App Store generate 4 times as much revenue as apps in the Android Market do. They found this figure by examining the top 200 grossing apps of 2011. Distimo also found that half of the revenue from the top 200 grossing apps in the App Store came from apps that follow the “freemium” business model- free apps that collect revenue by offering exclusive or advanced content- compared to the 65% of revenue that “freemium” apps in the Android Market produced.
Another study from Piper Jaffray, a leading middle-market investment bank, concluded that the App Store controls around 85 to 90% of total app revenue market share, producing around $3.4 billion in revenue for developers compared to the $240 million in revenue in the Android Market.
While results may vary, what is known is that the mobile app industry is lucrative.
What’s Next for Mobile Apps
It’s truly amazing to see how fast apps have grown in these few years- from zero apps to over one million, from no app stores to dozens, and from zero app downloads to over tens of billions, the popularity and profitability of mobile apps is undeniable. We’re looking forward to what lies ahead for the mobile industry in 2012.
What’s the Mobile App Market Worth?
posted by Terri Kim
By 2015, International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that 182.7 billion mobile apps will be downloaded, close to a 1600% increase from the 10.7 billion apps downloaded in 2010. This impressive figure can be attributed to increases in smartphones and apps- both free and paid- that will continue to occur in the mobile market.
The top two app stores on the market today- Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Market- account for 19.5 billion apps downloaded so far.
Apple’s App Store
Figure 1: Courtesy of Apple, Inc
In the App Store, which currently has over 425,000 different apps for download, 15 billion apps have been downloaded, up 50% from 10 billion in January 2011 and up 400% from 3 billion in January 2010. Reports indicate that the average iOS device owner will buy 61% more apps in 2011 than a year ago, totaling 83 app downloads this year, and be willing to pay 14% more for paid apps than a year ago. 82% of mobile apps for download are free.
Google’s Android Market
Figure 2: Courtesy of Google, Inc
In the Android Market, which is home to over 200,000 apps, 5 billion apps have been downloaded since launching in 2008, up 50% from 3 billion in May 2011 and up 350% from 1 billion downloads in August 2010. In just under two months from May to July 2011, over a billion apps for Android were downloaded.
Time Spent on Mobile Apps
And with all these downloads, it makes sense that smartphone users are spending more time using mobile apps than surfing the Web, according to a recent study by Flurry. Time spent on mobile apps per user jumped 88% to 81 minutes from June 2010 to June 2011, while time spent web browsing only increased 16%.
Figure 3: Courtesy of Flurry
In Conclusion
The mobile app market is expected to be worth $14.1 billion next year and jump 160% to $36.7 billion in revenue from direct sales, in-app purchases and mobile app advertising in 2015. However, these estimates may be understated given the tremendous growth of the mobile app industry in recent years.
Smartphones in the US and Beyond
posted by Terri Kim
Whether it’s checking your email, logging in to your favorite social site or downloading a new app, it’s safe to say that those who own smartphones like having access to the Internet in the palm of their hands. So it’s no surprise that smartphones are becoming more prevalent in U.S. households. A recent study from Pew Internet Project revealed that out of the 83% of US adults who own cell phones, 42% own smartphones, roughly 77 million people. To put this into perspective, 35% of all US adults own a smartphone, and this figure isn’t expected to decrease anytime soon. So while the US may be a smartphone hotspot, how does the smartphone market look in other parts of the world? Let’s take a look.
Asia
Asia is the largest mobile market in the world, and with that the land of endless opportunity for those in the mobile industry. With highly advanced tech countries like Japan and South Korea who were developing smartphones before they were popular in the U.S., and with the sheer amount of people in countries such as China and India, Asia is a mobile market wonderland. In China alone, out of the 900 million cellphone users, 20% own or plan to buy smartphones. Recognizing China’s large presence in the mobile market, we are excited to launch in China at the end of August.
But China isn’t Mobile Roadie’s first foray into Asia; we first made our mark in Asia by way of Japan. In addition to creating apps for some of Japan’s popular celebrities and musicians, we also developed an app for food leader Matsuya Foods Group (松屋フーズ). Below are screenshots of MoRo apps for popular Japanese girl groups Idoling!!! and Shibuhara
Europe
Europe’s smartphone market is growing rapidly, with the U.K, France and Italy leading the way. According to comScore, the smartphone market in Europe grew 41% in the past year. In 2010, the smartphone market in the U.K. experienced 70% growth to over 11 million subscribers, France experienced a 48% increase in smartphone adoption, while Italy had the largest number of smartphone users totaling over 15 million. Spain and Germany, in addition to these three European countries, total over 60 million smartphone users.
With MoRo representatives in Paris, Barcelona, and Milan, and an office in London’s “Silicon Roundabout”, we have already established our presence in Europe, and continue our position as the world’s leading app platform.
What this means
The International Data Corporation predicts that 472 million smartphones will be shipped worldwide in 2011 compared to the 305 million phones that were shipped in 2011, representing a 54% increase in one year. By 2015, it is predicted that over 982 million smartphones will be shipped all over the world- that’s close to one billion people who will be able to use phones to surf the Web, stream music and videos, download apps, and a host of other capabilities.
LeWeb 2010 iPhone, Android & BlackBerry Apps
posted by Michael Arcand
It’s time again for Europe’s premiere Internet conference, which takes place in Paris, France: LeWeb. We’re honored to have the opportunity to be the official mobile app sponsor for the conference for the second year in a row. In addition to the iPhone app, this year we have an Android and BlackBerry app for the conference as well. This marks another milestone for Mobile Roadie, as the LeWeb BlackBerry app is our very first Blackberry app! So what is LeWeb really all about? This promo video containing clips from last year’s conference will give you a feel for what’s in store for you if you’re going, or what you’ll be missing if you aren’t there…
You can download the iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry (OS6+) app from http://road.ie/leweb.
Our CEO, Michael Schneider, will be attending the conference again this year, so be sure and look us up if you’re there!
Android Increases its Worldwide Presence
posted by Michael Arcand
Ever since Mobile Roadie expanded our services to include Android earlier this year, we’ve seen first hand the impact that Android is having on the mobile market. We currently have over 200 live Android apps, and we are seeing an increase in Android app sign ups on a month to month basis. The Android Market is currently featuring the Mobile Roadie Miami Dolphins app on their homepage. We’ve observed an almost even 50/50 split in terms of which app the Miami Dolphins fans are downloading, the Android or the iPhone version.
As our portfolio of Android apps continues to grow, so does the mainstream attraction to one of the top-selling Android phones, the Motorola Droid. The initial version of the Droid was released last year and became an overnight success for Motorola, making it their top-selling phone. This year, just as the new Froyo Android operating system came out, so did the Droid 2, and the Droid X. Earlier this year, Flurry (an analytics company) revealed that the Motorola Droid reached its millionth sale in just 74 days, faster than the initial Apple iPhone release.
Another startling piece of information came out in August, revealing that Android was selling more phones than the Apple iOS. As you can see from the chart below, not only is Android adoption going through the roof, sales for both BlackBerry and Apple OS phones are in a slump. Many analysts believe the Android operating system could be the one to dethrone RIM as the most popular OS in the smartphone market.
With the combination of the Droid’s soaring sales and the Android operating system surpassing the Apple iOS, things are definitely looking up for both Motorola and Google. But what does this all mean for you? Build once, deploy everywhere using Mobile Roadie technology. Currently more than 1/2 of our clients sign up for both platforms.
[Image Credit: Wired.com]
My thoughts on Google’s App Inventor
posted by Michael Schneider (Mobile Roadie CEO)My email box blew up last Monday. Most were emails from concerned friends, telling me that Google just “killed” Mobile Roadie on the Android platform. This was the day they launched Google App Inventor.
For those of you that don’t know, Google’s App Inventor is a way for non programmers to “build anything you can imagine” on the Android platform.
Mobile Roadie has been the only platform on Android since we launched Android support in February. With the rest of the world having tunnel vision on the iPhone, we wanted to give our clients the flexibility and depth that comes with multi platform support. Android is just the first of many additional platforms we’ll be adding – build it once, it goes anywhere.
I watched Google’s video on their new offering with great interest. Afterwards, I had the impression that I had just watched a presentation on Microsoft Visual Basic in 2000. I love the idea of empowering people to build their own apps (that’s Mobile Roadie’s business). But the trick is in execution. And I don’t know a single Mobile Roadie customer that would watch that video and come away with a sense that it’s easy, quick, and requires no programming knowledge to create apps – all the things that make Mobile Roadie successful today.
That being said, I am sure a lot of people will use Google’s App Inventor, and that’s a good thing because it gets people comfortable with the idea of using a platform to create apps vs. custom development, and widens the market for all. There is a risk, however, with a free tool like this of a massive amount of SPAM apps. Time will tell. With all of Google’s resources, if they simply paid a full time designer to help, it would really improve their offerings.
What do you think? Does Google’s service seem easy-to-use? TechCrunch didn’t think so: http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/12/android-app-inventor-demo/
Scoble Dishes on His New Mobile Roadie Apps
posted by
We’re pretty excited to announce that Robert Scoble has joined the Mobile Roadie app family. I caught up with him just before his trip to Israel to find out more about why he decided to upgrade his existing app with one built on and powered by the Mobile Roadie platform. Robert joins a growing number of online influencers experimenting with apps to give their audience a more holistic view into what they’re up to, and another direct way to connect. He’d taken note that we were investing in the early adopters in the tech industry in a way that others weren’t by supporting several well-respected tech people and conferences.
“[Mobile Roadie] has an idea of events and community which the other’s don’t,” he told me. And then he shared a few comments about the breadth of capabilities of our CMS and vision as a company versus alternatives who are just offering “a template with lame content.”
Oh stop. We’re blushing. OK, keep going. We don’t mind.
“I never used my app. With Mobile Roadie it’s the completeness that I like. My content behavior is spreading out. I used to be a blogger but now i do a lot of content across many platforms like Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, that collectively make up what my brand is. With my app, I can see Twitter faves, people who write to me on Twitter, show videos, blog content..It gives a more complete picture of what I do.”
When I asked him why he wanted an app in the first place he said, “I want to see what it can do. I have a personal brand and don’t need an app to survive but I already use my mobile phone so much to interact with celebrities and bloggers and people who write content I care…everything is changing due to mobile and Twitter and Facebook and I wanted to explore what that meant and how my audience would react to it. When you have a committed audience that wants to interact they are going to consumer more of this type of content in this format.”
So how’s it going, you wonder? Well, Robert called it an “awesome app” and said he’s hearing a lot of praise from people who’ve tried it. We’re thrilled.
Being the curious company we are we pried a bit into how he was envisioning using the app. Robert said he isn’t entirely sure yet and wants to see what happens and how his audience consumes and engages with the content. He knows videos will be something to watch since “it’s easier to find videos on that app than on YouTube… I can see why my video views are already doing well.” He’s also looking forward to playing around with the Fan Wall, where anyone with the app can post comments, and virally push them to Facebook and Twitter.
Given Robert’s highly social nature and his very active audience, we’ve no doubt he will turn the use of his app into an example for the rest of the industry to follow.
This Week in Android Featuring Michael Schneider
posted by Michael ArcandCheck out This Week in Android‘s interview featuring our very own CEO, Michael Schneider. This clip starts out with a great video showing the versatility and application of Mobile Roadie apps. The platform was selected this week as the TWiA app of the week.
During the interview Michael fields questions from the show’s viewers, discussing the difference between cookie-cutter platforms vs the level of customization that is available to customers using Mobile Roadie. Other questions fielded include how Mobile Roadie compares to other online publishing platforms such as WordPress mobile templates, etc. Of course, a website doesn’t really compare to a mobile app, and Michael explains that succinctly.
As a teaser, he shows off cover flow, something previously only available on the iPhone platform, and demonstrates how Mobile Roadie has ported cover flow into the Android app, making it available to all of our clients. He also discussed the reasons why Mobile Roadie has chosen to keep the CMS features between each mobile platform identical (updates across both platforms simultaneously).
The future is mobile and mobile is going to get better and faster as time goes on. Mobile Roadie is keeping up with these trends and making plans to stay on top of the pack, leading the way for customers to use our CMS on the best mobile platforms available, from live video streams to integrated in-app sales, it’s all in the works!
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