The Mobile App Market will be Worth $27 Billion in 2013 as Tablet Revenue Grows

ABI Research projects the mobile app market will value at $27 billion in 2013, as mobile apps continue to be a critical factor in the battle between the mobile OS. BlackBerry and Windows are slowly augmenting their apps catalogue as they compete for the 3rd ecosystem, but are still far behind Apple and Android.

“iOS continues to lead the way, and the OS is projected to generate over two-thirds of the revenues for smartphone and tablet apps in 2013,” says senior analyst Josh Flood. “Although Google’s Android OS recently surpassed Apple in terms of total app numbers, iOS users continue to prove they’re more willing to depart with their cash. The revenue gap between the two leading OSes looks unlikely to close over the next 18 months.”

An interesting aspect of the mobile app market is revenues generated by smartphone versus tablets. Thus far, app revenues generated from smartphones have significantly dwarfed app revenues from tablets. However, tablet revenues are quickly catching up and it is projected tablet app revenues will overtake smartphones by 2017. The inclination for tablet users to pay more for apps than their smartphones because of the larger screen size and better user experience for gaming and reading are the primary drivers.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Mobile OS, Browsers and Applications Research Service. The Market Data product presents ABI Research's forecasts on the amount of revenue generated by native mobile applications and device types for all the major regions and key countries. The revenue sources considered are: pay-per download (provided separately for books); subscription; in-app purchase; and in-app advertising.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.