Average paid Android apps are 2.5 times more expensive than iPhone apps

The data was released on Thursday by Canalys, which reviewed the top 100 paid applications in the Android Market and compared them to the top 100 on the iPhone App Store. On average, the top 100 Android applications cost $374.37, or an average of $3.74 per application, compared to the $1.47 average on Apple’s App Store.

The numbers led Canalys to declare that applications sold on the Android market are “too expensive,” and conclude that Apple’s “more mature, controlled” digital storefront raises competitiveness and lowers the price of software.

“That developers can apparently charge more for their apps on Android and make it into the top paid list is clearly a positive,” said Rachel Lashford, Canalys managing director for Mobile and APAC. “But the reality is that with fewer people willing to purchase apps on Android than on iOS today, there is more of a necessity to do so.”

“Developers and publishers need to balance the iOS volume opportunity with a potentially greater value per download opportunity on Android, where more apps command higher price points. Selling more apps at higher prices is the Holy Grail for developers, but achieving big volumes of paid apps on Android is no small challenge.”

The survey found that 82 of the top 100 paid applications in the U.S. iPhone App Store are priced at $0.99. In comparison, just 22 of the top 100 on the Android Market are under a dollar.

It’s been long established that developers make far more money from Apple’s iPhone App Store than they do Google’s Android Market.One recent analysis found that iOS applications bring in 300 percent more revenue than their Android counterparts.

Apple revealed in January that it has paid more than $4 billion so far to App Store developers. Sales and earnings have only grown in revenue since the App Store first launched in 2008 as the iPhone has gained in popularity.

Beyond mobile application prices, Canalys also found other key differences between the Apple App Store and Google Android Market. For example, among the top 100 applications listed in both storefronts, only 19 applications appeared in both lists.

“It is clear that apps or games that prove to be runaway successes on the iPhone do not automatically prove to be so popular with Android smartphone users,” Canalys Senior Analyst Tim Shepherd said. “Apple’s App Store and the Android Market are very different retail environments. The former is now a mature but still very closely controlled retail environment, while the latter remains more open but also less secure and consumer friendly.”

Developers have adapted to the differences between the platforms to try to maximize sales. For example, Electronic Arts routinely discounts its iPhone games to give them visibility among the App Store’s top 25 list, as visibility is crucial.

via Average paid Android apps are 2.5 times more expensive than iPhone apps.

Android, iPhone Users Get New Privacy Protection

Six of the world’s top consumer technology firms have agreed to provide greater privacy disclosures before users download applications in order to protect the personal data of millions of consumers, California’s attorney general said on Wednesday.

The agreement binds Amazon, Apple, Google , Microsoft, Research In Motion, and Hewlett-Packard — and developers on their platforms — to disclose how they use private data before an app may be downloaded, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said.

“Your personal privacy should not be the cost of using mobile apps, but all too often it is,” said Harris.

Currently 22 of the 30 most downloaded apps do not have privacy notices, said Harris. Some downloaded apps also download a consumer’s contact book.

Google said in a statement that under the California agreement, Android users will have “even more ways to make informed decisions when it comes to their privacy”.

Apple confirmed the agreement but did not elaborate.

Harris was also among U.S. state lawmakers who on Wednesday signed a letter to Google CEO Larry Page to express “serious concerns” over the web giant’s recent decision to consolidate its privacy policy.

The policy change would give Google access to user information across its products, such as GMail and Google Plus, without the proper ability for consumers to opt out, said the 36 U.S. attorneys general in their letter.

EU authorities have asked Google to halt the policy change until regulators can investigate the matter.

California’s 2004 Online Privacy Protection Act requires privacy disclosures, but Harris said few mobile developers had paid attention to the law in recent years because of confusion over whether it applied to mobile apps.

“Most mobile apps make no effort to inform users about how personal information is used,” Harris said at a press conference in San Francisco. “The consumer should be informed of what they are giving up”.

The six companies will meet the attorney general in six months to assess compliance among their developers. But Harris acknowledged “there is no clear timeline” to begin enforcement.

The attorney general repeatedly raised the possibility of litigation at some future time under California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws if developers continue to publish apps without privacy notices.

“We can sue and we will sue,” she said, adding that she hoped the industry would act “in good faith.”

There are nearly 600,000 applications for sale in the Apple App Store and 400,000 for sale in Google’s Android Market, and consumers have downloaded more than 35 billion, said Harris.

There are also more than 50,000 individual developers who have created the mobile apps currently available for download on the leading platforms, she said.

These figures are expected to grow. She said an estimated 98 billion mobile applications will be downloaded by 2015, and the $6.8 billion market for mobile applications is expected to grow to $25 billion within four years.

Los Angeles California based mobile solutions company – VezTek USA – provides expertise to help make the right decisions about where to invest in mobile, and the ability to execute flawlessly with award-winning design, engineering, and project management resources. Please contact us today for a no obligation consultation: 310-928-3514 OR info@veztekusa.com.

via Android, iPhone users get new privacy protection – CSMonitor.com.

iPhone users think twice before downloading apps–you may be inadvertently allowing a third-party access to your business contacts. This week Apple found itself under fire from the U.S. House subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade for its policy–or lack there of–when it comes to iOS app developers seeking permission to gain access to their users’ list of contacts. Forbes reports that this investigation comes directly on the heels of blogger Arun Thampi’s recent discovery that the photo-sharing, social networking app Path was uploading users’ address books to their server without their knowledge. Though Path claimed that it was uploading address books so that it could help users find friends and family on their network, this breach brings up many questions about how apps use personal data.

In an age when more and more users are syncing their many technologies, this gray area, if not dealt with, could be a detriment to businesses and their employees. Syncing your phone to your work computer and then downloading an app that accesses all of your data could compromise not only personal privacy, but your company’s privacy as well. Businesses could potentially see an uptick in email spam and be at risk for malware.

How does Apple plan on solving the issue? All Things D reports that Apple has decided to go the route of Android and include a request for permission for user’s contacts before apps are installed. But this solution doesn’t completely eradicate the issue. If you decide to deny permission, you can’t install the app. If you agree, it’s still unclear about where and how your contacts are being used by third parties.

It also doesn’t address the larger issue, which is what qualifies as data about a user. This is not the first time Apple has come under fire by the U.S. subcommittee. In 2010, their smartphone apps were shown to be transmitting personal data as well as location information. If the computer giant is smart, it will take this recent address book debacle as an opportunity to come up with better guidelines for app developers, so that they don’t find themselves in this predicament again.

Until then, it’s important for businesses and their employees to be aware of the risk of downloading apps on smartphones. No one wants their privacy breached. However, in light of current events, it seems almost impossible to completely protect your information when technology is changing at such a rapid rate. The best solution is to stay informed.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.

via Infoboom: Apple Questioned On iPhone App Privacy Policies.

It is often said that the federal government is usually slower to adopt new technology: as far the mobile apps are concerned the federal government -if not an early adopter – is not far behind either. Now, When it comes to federal budget: there’s an app for that.

Obama administration released on Monday the 2013 proposed budget via  site via a mobile website in addition to the traditional print and online formats. It’s the first time that the federal budget has been released as a mobile website that can run on iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and all other mobile devices.

“Through GPO’s role as the digital information platform for the Federal Government, we continue to explore different ways to make Government information available to the public and developing apps is just one way we are meeting that goal,” said acting public printer Davita Vance-Cooks in a statement.

The mobile app comes with text and images from the 2013 proposed budget as well as links to summary tables and other material. It will be the second full app for the GPO: GPO also worked with the Library of Congress on an iPad app on the Congressional Record.

via Federal budget now an iPhone, mobile app – Pittsburgh Business Times.
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If you are interested in getting a mobile app developed for your business, or to turn your mobile app idea into a marketable product, Los Angeles California based mobile apps development company Veztek USA is your one stop shop. We provide mobile apps and games development and consulting services for all major platforms including Apple iOS  (iPhone and iPad devices), Google Android , and RIM Blackberry. Our private label mobile apps development division provides mobile app development services to its wide network of Resale Partners. Call 310.928.3514, email info@veztekUSA.com, or use the online form to request a no obligation free price quote