There is always a curiosity to see which app platform is more profitable. Is Google’s Android the best for making money or will Apple’s iOS take the crown when it comes to profitability?
We have discussed before how both Apple and Android ecosystems are the popular choice of app developers when it comes to making money and earning profits. Let’s take a look at what makes the iOS platform the better choice.
Winner Takes All
The American market research and analysis firm International Data Corporation reported that in the third quarter of 2013 the Smartphone market was dominated by Android, accounting for 81% of sales while iOS enabled phones came in second with only 12.9%.
However, volume and market share doesn’t always translate to profits. According to the data collected by the IDC, Android doesn’t generate much revenue inspite of a high volume of sales because a large majority of these phones that are sold, close to around two-thirds, are very low-end “junk” phones.
Pushing the sales of devices aside, it can also be seen that when it comes to the respective app distribution platforms, iOS is leading the fray.
In September, 2013, Google Play had only 35% of the app market while Apple’s App Store led by a huge 65%. The website Distimo.com estimated that on an average day in November 2013, the global revenue from the 200 top grossing apps in Apple’s App Store was over $18 million, while Google Play managed to generate around $12 million.
According to data compiled by Business Insider, for every $1.00 earned by an iOS app, the respective Android app only earns $0.19. In terms of revenue generated by advertising, iOS earned a dollar as opposed to Android’s $.0.77.
NetMarketShare.com, which publishes monthly stats on which browsers and operating systems are used on the Internet, reported in March 2013 that iOS ruled with 60.1% whereas Android users were behind at 24.9%. So even though there may be more Android devices being sold, iOS users spend a lot more time on the Internet.
Why is there such a disparity? How is the App Store so much more lucrative than Google Play?
Aside from the obvious profit that app developers can make through iOS (and therefore naturally gravitate towards), there is also the fact that iOS is much safer than Android because Android devices dwarf iOS devices in sales volume. Also, 78% of iOS users are running iOS 7, the latest version of the operating system, whereas only 2.5% of all Android users are using KitKat, the latest update of the Android OS.
Therefore, it can clearly be seen that when it comes to real-world usage, Apple’s iOS has a huge share of Smartphone and tablet app sales, and is the way to go for app developers!
