RIM says BlackBerry App World has 60K apps, 13% of publishers earn more than $100K

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014


Research in Motion announced on Tuesday that its BlackBerry App World is the second most profitable mobile application store behind Apple's App Store, beating out Google's Android Market.



At a developer's conference in Amsterdam, new RIM CEO Thorsten Heins was joined by vice president of developer relations, Alec Saunders, who declared App World to be the second-most-profitable mobile platform. He said that's based on the fact that RIM has more paid downloads available than the Android Market, where most software options are free, according to PaidContent.org.



Saunders also said that 13 percent of all application publishers on BlackBerry App World have made $100,000 or more. Those profits come from 60,000 applications that are available on App World.



Of course, BlackBerry's numbers pale in comparison to Apple, which is far and away the mobile application leader with more than 550,000 applications available for iOS, including more than 170,000 specifically designed for the iPad. Officials also announced in Apple's last quarterly earnings conference call that the App Store has now paid out over $4 billion to developers.



While Apple's market domination for paid mobile applications is no surprise, RIM's claims that its BlackBerry App World is more profitable than the Android Market is unexpected, particularly considering the company's recent struggles that contributed to its co-chairmen and CEOs stepping down. Developer Shaun Austin speculated via Twitter that RIM's BlackBerry platform doesn't attract "hobbyists" as much as more popular platforms like Apple's iOS or Google Android.











RIM also announced that its App World sees 6 million downloads per day, totaling 2 billion total downloads as of last month. In comparison, the iPad alone is estimated to have seen 3 billion downloads as of early January, while the iOS App Store topped 10 billion total downloads more than a year ago.



Heins, who took over as CEO of RIM last month, said on Tuesday that 65 percent of the population of Europe, the Middle East and Africa are still using feature phones, which he believes gives RIM an opportunity to regain some ground lost to iOS and Android. Though RIM was once dominant in the corporate world, it has lost traction there with major companies like Halliburton, as AppleInsider exclusively reported this week that the energy service corporation plans to phase out thousands of employee BlackBerrys and switch to Apple's iPhone.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    Huh. I never would have guessed that.
  • Reply 2 of 37
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    1) 60k sounds like a solid number for a platform. Now lets see if they can create a good device and find a foothold in the market this late in the game.



    2) They even beat out Android Market despite there low numbers in everything. Explain to me again how Android is winning?
  • Reply 3 of 37
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronJ View Post


    Huh. I never would have guessed that.



    Read the wording carefully. 13% of developers have made $100 K or more. If they've been selling the app for 10 years, that's only $10 K per year. And if they've been selling 10 apps for 10 years, that's only $1 K per app per year.



    I'm not surprised that a small number of RIM developers make a huge amount of money. 13% making $100 K over multiple years may not be all that impressive.
  • Reply 4 of 37
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) 60k sounds like a solid number for a platform. Now lets see if they can create a good device and find a foothold in the market this late in the game.



    2) They even beat out Android Market despite there low numbers in everything. Explain to me again how Android is winning?



    Apparently, to a lot of people, market share = winning.



    Why people believe that, I have no idea. But lots do apparently.
  • Reply 5 of 37
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Read the wording carefully. 13% of developers have made $100 K or more. If they've been selling the app for 10 years, that's only $10 K per year. And if they've been selling 10 apps for 10 years, that's only $1 K per app per year.



    I'm not surprised that a small number of RIM developers make a huge amount of money. 13% making $100 K over multiple years may not be all that impressive.



    I read the word earn and assumed that was on a yearly average or for the past year. I think you're right.
  • Reply 6 of 37
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Read the wording carefully. 13% of developers have made $100 K or more. If they've been selling the app for 10 years, that's only $10 K per year. And if they've been selling 10 apps for 10 years, that's only $1 K per app per year.



    I'm not surprised that a small number of RIM developers make a huge amount of money. 13% making $100 K over multiple years may not be all that impressive.



    Good point, but when did this app store open?
  • Reply 7 of 37
    I see... Didn't that new German CEO tell us, BlackBerry is great, it is just about communication. Here we go... with some polished figures that can be interpreted broadly.



    The problem is far easier, but hard to swallow for the egos at RIM: Admit that your products way outdated. Acknowledging the truth hurts, denying it is a recipe for disaster. They're heading right into it.



    Anyone going to tell them?
  • Reply 8 of 37
    Numbers don't add up. They only have 60k apps, very few compared to Android and ios, and they are claiming 6 million downloads a day. So every single app they have is being downloaded 10 times a day, every single day, on average? Sounds a little fishy to me.



    And they claim 2 billion downloads as of last month, while Apple which has more phones in the wild and 5 times more apps on has 3 billion. Sounds like some fibbing is going on at RIM.
  • Reply 9 of 37
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) 60k sounds like a solid number for a platform. Now lets see if they can create a good device and find a foothold in the market this late in the game.



    I don't have anything to compare it with, but 13% of devs making more than $100,000 doesn't seem like a lot, I don't think it allows much return to fund multi-person teams developing an app.



    Quote:

    2) They even beat out Android Market despite there low numbers in everything. Explain to me again how Android is winning?



    Blackberry is only offered by one company. Android is offered by many companies, even if the companies don't make as much, combined, they make a bigger platform.



    I can imagine that the platform doesn't have a lot of hobbyists because RIM has never done a good job to appealing to consumers.
  • Reply 10 of 37
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    I'm not really surprised. Most of ppl using Blackberry are well-being.
  • Reply 11 of 37
    Regardless of all the armchair quarterbacking that's been going on, I do think that RIM is on the only course that can save it- launch a new, compelling product as quickly as possible.



    Unfortunately, that won't be until fall of this year. And that could well doom them, and there might not be anything they can do about it.



    They're shedding marketshare every quarter to iOS and Andriod, and we've got at least 2 (if not 3) more quarters before RIM can release their new product. By then, Andriod manufactures will have released lots of new hardware (not sure what the development path is for post ICS Andriod OS), and Apple will have a new iPhone AND iOS6 out the door, perhaps several months in advance.



    There's a threshold with any device or brand name where it fades out of public acclaim, and once the mojo is gone it's almost impossible to get it back. RIM may be there now. If not, then they're steadily moving closer every day up to the day they release BB10.



    If they can pull out of this nosedive, it will be every bit as remarkable as Apple's turnaround in the late '90s. I just don't think they have the vision to make it happen.
  • Reply 12 of 37
    At 6 million apps dl'd per day and 2 billion to date, that's 333 days if the number dl'd per day was static. It's not of course and I think their app store went live in March of 2009. That's 3 years they've been selling apps, 34 months actually.



    The only way RIM could be at 2 billion is if they mandate their employees to dl 50 apps per day each to drive up the number.



    This press release is simply trying to make the numbers look less bleak and hopefully stave off further losses. I think it's great that they're taking on Android - let them face the wrath of Google now, which really isn't going to be the reason for their demise.
  • Reply 13 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac.World View Post


    Numbers don't add up. They only have 60k apps, very few compared to Android and ios, and they are claiming 6 million downloads a day. So every single app they have is being downloaded 10 times a day, every single day, on average? Sounds a little fishy to me.



    You're right - because 6,000,000 downloads divided by 60,000 apps is 100 per day, not 10. So every app, on average, is getting downloaded 100 times per day...?
  • Reply 14 of 37
    s4mb4s4mb4 Posts: 267member
    the number will go much higher when the Playbook gets updated to version 2.0.



    that will allow a simple porting method of Android apps to work natively on it.



    another reason this press realease is probably out there. Getting the Android devs interested for a click and submit way of making some extra money.
  • Reply 15 of 37
    My question is that how much money the other 87% of developers made in the same period?



    Also BB OS is a bit behind iOS and Android in feature, are these apps are for providing the same functionality that comes as a given in other platforms?



    Nonetheless this is good for their developers, and I wish them the best!





    sorry to be a bit doom/gloom but I think they are valid questions.
  • Reply 16 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) 60k sounds like a solid number for a platform. Now lets see if they can create a good device and find a foothold in the market this late in the game.



    2) They even beat out Android Market despite there low numbers in everything. Explain to me again how Android is winning?



    I was going to say the same thing



    I'm still on record here (somewhere?) stating that I think Google is going to make major changes to Android come Summer. I've even entertained the thought that they will stop developing it actively, unless on their own devices or those from Motorola.



    Specifically, not allowing just anybody and his dog/Dawg to take Android base code and do any fork of it they want. They may consider a lock-down to Google Services at the very least, which would upset the Open Source universe as we, as well as their fans, know it.



    I've been beating up on RIM for the longest time, and I still think they are toast sooner than later, but this article sheds some hope on them (somewhat) and is a huge open door to MS/Win8 as well.



    Who's gonna step up and take the ball? Or puck as it may be...
  • Reply 17 of 37
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    These stats are pretty good. The iPhone App Store has paid out $4B in 3+ years to 250K apps, an average of $16K an app, sightly more than $4k an app per year.



    If apple were to work out what percentage of companies ( who, I know can have multiple apps) have achieved more than $100K i guess the percentage would be less.



    For app devs the denominator matters. I recommend the Mac App store.
  • Reply 18 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post




    2) They even beat out Android Market despite there low numbers in everything. Explain to me again how Android is winning?



    By flooding the market with new models every month and carriers constantly offering two for one deals.
  • Reply 19 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronJ View Post


    Apparently, to a lot of people, market share = winning.



    Why people believe that, I have no idea. But lots do apparently.



    It is a viable strategy. Japanese auto manufacturers used it in the 1970's to enter the American market with their "rice burners". Now they sell lots of profitable cars here.
  • Reply 20 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mccdyl001 View Post


    You're right - because 6,000,000 downloads divided by 60,000 apps is 100 per day, not 10. So every app, on average, is getting downloaded 100 times per day...?



    Averages can be misleading. For example, if Steve's widow moved into your neighborhood, then on average, you and your neighbors would all be billionaires.



    My guess is that some apps sell in huge numbers, and others sell not at all well. On average...
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