iPad users have downloaded three billion applications
since the launch of the iPad in 2010. Downloads from iPad is 19 percent of all
cumulative downloads by Apple users, according to ABI research.
The iPhone took almost two years before being able to
achieve this level of downloads, while the iPad made it within nearly a year
and a half.
Comparatively, Android tablets only have around 440
million downloads so far. Annual Android app downloads for smartphones are
expected to hit 58 Billion by 2016, compared to 27 billion for Apple’s iPhone.
Discounting all those apps that were originally
developed for Android smartphones, Android still trails greatly behind the iPad
in terms of its tablet app offerings. Many Android tablets in the market are
still using older versions of Android, which disadvantages users from enjoying
the better effects of apps produced from more advanced software development
kits,” said Lim Shiyang, research associate at ABI Research.
Apple’s iPad apps are generally considered to be of a
better quality compared to Android tablet-specific apps. As of Q3 2011, there
were 120,000 apps published specifically for the iPad, according to the study.
In terms of hardware, the iPad device still offers much
more compared to the current crop of tablets in the market. Android is
currently being used on many low end tablets that do not offer experiences
anywhere near the iPad and this dampens the download momentum for users,” said
Dan Shey, practice director, mobile services.
ABI Research also said that things are expected to change
as manufacturers adopt the recently-released Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich,
as well as accelerate product development to close up the specifications gap
between their tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and the iPad.
Recently,
the Apple iPhone 4S launch caused a significant spike in mobile app downloads.
The Fiksu Index experienced a 70 percent increase in
download volume during the iPhone 4S launch weekend and 40 percent increase in
download volume during post-launch, compared to the pre-launch time frame of
the new iPhone’s availability during October.
By Telecomlead.com Team
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