iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, August 27, 2009
News Category: iPhone

According to survey data released by mobile advertising firm AdMob alongside its July Mobile Metrics Report, iPod touch users download twice as many free applications as iPhone and Android users. The survey focused on comparing the application usage behavior of users of all three devices. Most often, users said they discover new apps by browsing on the App Store or Android Market and through direct searches, and over 90% of these users said they do so directly from their device, and not through the computer. While average Android and iPhone users download between 9-10 new apps every month, iPod touch users download 18, and spend an average of half an hour more—two hours versus one and a half—using apps each day.

In addition, more than twice as many iPhone and iPod touch users indicated they purchase at least one paid app per month compared to users of Android, although the average amount spent per month among users who do purchase apps is similar across platforms, with iPhone and iPod touch users spending $9.49 and $9.79, respectively, and Android users spending $8.63. Finally, based on percentage of users purchasing apps, average monthly spending, and installed base, the report states that the market for paid App Store applications is roughly 40 times that of Android Market, at $198 million to $5 million, respectively. Of note is the fact that the data is based on a survey of over 1,000 iPhone, iPod touch, and Android users, which may be too small to generalize to the broader user populations of these devices.