App Store continues to vastly outpace Google Play in consumer spending

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 33
    acejax805acejax805 Posts: 109member
    One of the reasons the iOS App store continues to generate more revenue over Google's Play store is because of value. iOS users, although with a significantly lower market-share worldwide (82% Android to 12% iOS), user their devices more. iOS apps are much more polished, complete, and offer users a far greater UX. Also, the hardware on iOS devices far surpass anything Android has to offer, even today, when it comes to consistent, 60FPS gaming. I have $50 in Google Play store credit and I have only purchased one app, while on iOS I have spent over $50 because the apps continue to be supported by developers for years on end and the apps themselves are much more polished and less buggy. Also, Apple has made iOS the defacto mobile gaming platform. I have gamed on OnePlus, Samsung, Google, LG, and HTC devices and they pale in comparison to my iPhone and iPad devices. I've compared apps and games from iOS and Google Play and the iOS versions are superior in almost 100% of the cases. People don't spend money just because they have it, they spend it where they find value, and it's clear users find greater value in iOS apps than Android users (tbh, a good handful of Android users pirate apps and sideload APK versions, bypassing the paywall). 
    edited June 2019 radarthekatAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 22 of 33
    All I take from this is that a study with readily apparent flaws is being published as though it's objective fact. I'd like to see AI apply some more critical analysis in the article about the premise of the report rather than breaking down the numbers.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 23 of 33
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    MacPro said:
    lkrupp said:
    This alone keeps developers in the iOS business.
    I am sure the resident Google spokesperson will be all over this any moment.
    Alternative headlines:

    "Android users saves tens of millions of dollars on apps compared to iPhone users"

    "The most popular app developers, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, earn hundreds of millions of dollars on Android without charging customers a dime"
    by selling their users personally data
    AppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 24 of 33
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    YOU MEAN PEOPLE WHO BUY KNOCKOFF iPHONES CAN'T AFFORD APPS?!?!

    THIS IS NEWS TO ME!!! /s
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 25 of 33
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    With professional titles emerging on the iPad I can only see this trend increasing. We are currently in a period of change, now the iPad has become a desirable professional tool and developers have followed that change closely. For example, Design and marketing professionals want Adobe-level pro apps on their iPad, and in the last year we have begun to see that delivered in volume by a variety of developers. Forcing Adobe's hand here to develop the full version of Photoshop on iPad and generally commit to Apple's frameworks in a way they have never done before.

    Similarly iOS has continued to grow into a gaming platform, certainly it's not going to replace traditional gamer consoles in the same way the gameboy didn't, but it has attracted a massive following, high level developers and the hardware is performing on an impressive level.

    Now look at Android and the core attraction being Google's free services paired with cheap hardware and we're truly beginning to see a point of differentiation that can't be easily duplicated. The consumer there is either low-expenditure or low engagement, either way this is the type that can't commit to prices that developers require to sustain their business models. Add into the mix Apple's new service offerings such as Card, Arcade, News and TV and the differences between the platforms grow larger and more difficult to bridge.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 26 of 33
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.

    That's not the reason why Google Play will never match The App Store. Currently Google Play has about 2x the users as The App Store for a market share difference of 66% to 33%. Yet despite that clear advantage The App Store still generates substantially more revenue. This is simply due to the fact that the entire 33% of iPhone users represents flagship users with money to spend. That 66% that Google has includes flagships along with low-end devices. Google Play simply doesn't have enough flagship users to generate revenues to match The App Store. Further, there are no quality Android tablet Apps to generate revenue so Apple basically has this entire market to themselves.

    Third party stores are irrelevant, except to people trying to claim Android is somehow winning at "something".
    Wait, what’s an Android tablet? Oh, isn’t that one of those things that’s built into a stand and sits on a kitchen counter showing photos until your parents call from an alternate universe where people actually do this? The google guy has suggested this is a very practical use case and not at all inferior to a tablet that goes wherever you go.
    edited June 2019 AppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 27 of 33
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    All I take from this is that a study with readily apparent flaws is being published as though it's objective fact. I'd like to see AI apply some more critical analysis in the article about the premise of the report rather than breaking down the numbers.
    What flaws? What is the problem with the premise? Enlighten us.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 28 of 33
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.

    That's not the reason why Google Play will never match The App Store. Currently Google Play has about 2x the users as The App Store for a market share difference of 66% to 33%. Yet despite that clear advantage The App Store still generates substantially more revenue. This is simply due to the fact that the entire 33% of iPhone users represents flagship users with money to spend. That 66% that Google has includes flagships along with low-end devices. Google Play simply doesn't have enough flagship users to generate revenues to match The App Store. Further, there are no quality Android tablet Apps to generate revenue so Apple basically has this entire market to themselves.

    Third party stores are irrelevant, except to people trying to claim Android is somehow winning at "something".
    Not doubting you're 100% accurate but where did you see that Google Play has twice as many active users as the AppStore? 

    As for writing off other Android appstores you honestly want to claim 750M+ Chinese users of Android devices don't matter, the app stores servicing them "irrelevant"? Seriously? LOL!

    There's sources with data showing Google can sell to less than half the Android install base with the majority of "Android" devices in regions that Google Play does not service. In general there are NO regions selling iOS devices that Apple cannot service are there?

    On a per user basis i have zero doubt you are correct about the potential app revenue. As an OS platform I think you might be wrong. 

    Based on Google's announcement of active Android devices (2.5 billion) and Apple announcing 1.4 billion active Apple devices (of which most are iOS devices).


    I've already explained to you (in great detail in a previous thread) why third party Android stores are irrelevant, so I see a refresher is required.

    There is only one primary benefit to having a large user base with an OS - a better selection of Apps/services. Windows Mobile (and other attempts at a mobile OS) found this out the hard way. However, this requires a "common" OS. Having numerous variations of an OS (for example, Android forks) each with their own little quirks can't be included as part of the entire "Android" ecosystem because they are self contained and offer nothing of value to the rest of the user base.

    The largest group of Android devices using third party stores are all those forks run by various Chinese or Indian carriers. They sell what is basically a feature phone that happens to run Android, and that device is 100% locked down to that particular carrier or to a manufacturer. Those devices don't have access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the other popular Apps that regular Android or iOS users take for granted because all the big developers either don't bother (or simply aren't allowed) to have their Apps on that store. They also don't have access to Google Play. Likewise, the Apps on those stores never come to Google Play (and why would they, since they are designed to work with their own separate ecosystem).

    Bottom line: they contribute absolutely nothing to the Android ecosystem as a whole. None of their revenue is going to outside developers and none of their IP (if they had anything of value) is bringing new ideas/features to other Android users.

    The other type of third party store is where users of "regular" Android devices might go to look for Apps if they want something not on Google Play. There's really no reason for a third party Android store to exist when you have Google Play. However, one look at these stores tells you all you need to know. Lots of pirated or cracked Apps, clones of popular Apps or Apps that would never be allowed in Google Play because they violate their terms and conditions. Developers of quality Apps don't bother bringing them to these stores and none of the developers using these stores have much of value to offer us since their business model is pretty much stealing. Again, they contribute nothing to the Android ecosystem as they are simply leeches looking to make money stealing others work. And this is before we even talk about the malware issue with third party stores.


    So yes, these stores are irrelevant. If they all disappeared overnight it would have ZERO impact on Android. Owners of all the popular Android devices (Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and others) wouldn't even notice they were gone since they contributed NOTHING to how well their devices work. They are only relevant to themselves.
    muthuk_vanalingamAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 29 of 33
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.
    You're delusional if you think people spend anything beyond a negligible amount of money in these "appstore alternatives". They make for a nice scapegoat as to why the Google Play store earns so much less money than the appstore, but I doubt their usage amounts to much at all. 
    ericthehalfbeeAppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 30 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.

    That's not the reason why Google Play will never match The App Store. Currently Google Play has about 2x the users as The App Store for a market share difference of 66% to 33%. Yet despite that clear advantage The App Store still generates substantially more revenue. This is simply due to the fact that the entire 33% of iPhone users represents flagship users with money to spend. That 66% that Google has includes flagships along with low-end devices. Google Play simply doesn't have enough flagship users to generate revenues to match The App Store. Further, there are no quality Android tablet Apps to generate revenue so Apple basically has this entire market to themselves.

    Third party stores are irrelevant, except to people trying to claim Android is somehow winning at "something".
    Not doubting you're 100% accurate but where did you see that Google Play has twice as many active users as the AppStore? 

    As for writing off other Android appstores you honestly want to claim 750M+ Chinese users of Android devices don't matter, the app stores servicing them "irrelevant"? Seriously? LOL!

    There's sources with data showing Google can sell to less than half the Android install base with the majority of "Android" devices in regions that Google Play does not service. In general there are NO regions selling iOS devices that Apple cannot service are there?

    On a per user basis i have zero doubt you are correct about the potential app revenue. As an OS platform I think you might be wrong. 

    Based on Google's announcement of active Android devices (2.5 billion) and Apple announcing 1.4 billion active Apple devices (of which most are iOS devices).


    I've already explained to you (in great detail in a previous thread) why third party Android stores are irrelevant, so I see a refresher is required.

    There is only one primary benefit to having a large user base with an OS - a better selection of Apps/services. Windows Mobile (and other attempts at a mobile OS) found this out the hard way. However, this requires a "common" OS. Having numerous variations of an OS (for example, Android forks) each with their own little quirks can't be included as part of the entire "Android" ecosystem because they are self contained and offer nothing of value to the rest of the user base.

    The largest group of Android devices using third party stores are all those forks run by various Chinese or Indian carriers. They sell what is basically a feature phone that happens to run Android, and that device is 100% locked down to that particular carrier or to a manufacturer. Those devices don't have access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the other popular Apps that regular Android or iOS users take for granted because all the big developers either don't bother (or simply aren't allowed) to have their Apps on that store. They also don't have access to Google Play. Likewise, the Apps on those stores never come to Google Play (and why would they, since they are designed to work with their own separate ecosystem).

    Bottom line: they contribute absolutely nothing to the Android ecosystem as a whole. None of their revenue is going to outside developers and none of their IP (if they had anything of value) is bringing new ideas/features to other Android users.

    The other type of third party store is where users of "regular" Android devices might go to look for Apps if they want something not on Google Play. There's really no reason for a third party Android store to exist when you have Google Play. However, one look at these stores tells you all you need to know. Lots of pirated or cracked Apps, clones of popular Apps or Apps that would never be allowed in Google Play because they violate their terms and conditions. Developers of quality Apps don't bother bringing them to these stores and none of the developers using these stores have much of value to offer us since their business model is pretty much stealing. Again, they contribute nothing to the Android ecosystem as they are simply leeches looking to make money stealing others work. And this is before we even talk about the malware issue with third party stores.


    So yes, these stores are irrelevant. If they all disappeared overnight it would have ZERO impact on Android. Owners of all the popular Android devices (Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and others) wouldn't even notice they were gone since they contributed NOTHING to how well their devices work. They are only relevant to themselves.
    You're still mixing Google Android and Android as an OS to come to arrive at an invalid conclusion. 

    Where do you think Android apps sold in Chinese app stores come from, a magic wand? You seem unaware of what apps are even available from those stores and where they come from. Those same developers making games for iOS for instance also make them available to Android app stores, but the revenues never included in these stories you read on AI using Western statistics and conveniently including Chinese revenue only for iOS.  Even ignoring every other app store worldwide do you have any figures for the Chinese Android app revenues that developers are seeing? 

    If you actually take the time to read the report this AI article is based on it's using 5-year averages and estimates to imply Android app revenues are not growing like iOS ones. A couple months ago the same Sensor Tower gave this comparison based on more recent data and estimates.
    https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2018

    It appears from various reports that China alone accounts for about a third of Apple's AppStore revenues, with no Chinese revenue's included in any of the Android app store figures you've seen here. Since you continue to insist that iOS platform app revenues vastly exceed those of Android as a platform any idea how much those missing revenue figures are? Since you say they are irrelevant you obviously have some evidence they are minimal. Links are always appreciated. 

    IMHO the revenue from Android app stores as a whole, not just that (roughly) half the segment using Google's version, probably exceeds that of Apple's sole source App Store, but I'll be happy to consider the possibility I could be mistaken once I see those non-Google Play app revenues you insist are irrelevant  and offering proof of in your follow-up.  

    FWIW on a totally related point app availability would hardly be irrelevant to Chinese users of Android handsets much as you'd like to imply it is, When apps sell the developer creating them benefits and the value of further developing for the OS grows.

    Google Play does not represent Android app sales as a whole. Rough back-of-the-envelope math leads me to believe Google Play may account for south of 60% of total Android platform app revenues considering the number of competing Western app stores taking some smallish percentage probably well under 10% in total, India maybe 5% (but growing) and China perhaps as much as a third. 

    So what does the article you're commenting about say then? Apple makes $Billions from selling compatible apps and getting richer. Google makes fewer $Billions from selling apps and is also getting richer. The article is not comparing the overall iOS market revenues to the overall Android market revenues. AFAICT Mr Dilger or whoever the author of the piece was doesn't have the figures to do so, and if there's "analysts" out there like Signal Tower or App Annie or someone else who does know that aren't publishing them for whatever reason they might have. 

    edited June 2019
  • Reply 31 of 33
    i dont see that publish for android is a bad thing, even it is sligtly less, 40 million is 40 MILLION, so no problem to be there :)
  • Reply 32 of 33
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.

    That's not the reason why Google Play will never match The App Store. Currently Google Play has about 2x the users as The App Store for a market share difference of 66% to 33%. Yet despite that clear advantage The App Store still generates substantially more revenue. This is simply due to the fact that the entire 33% of iPhone users represents flagship users with money to spend. That 66% that Google has includes flagships along with low-end devices. Google Play simply doesn't have enough flagship users to generate revenues to match The App Store. Further, there are no quality Android tablet Apps to generate revenue so Apple basically has this entire market to themselves.

    Third party stores are irrelevant, except to people trying to claim Android is somehow winning at "something".
    Not doubting you're 100% accurate but where did you see that Google Play has twice as many active users as the AppStore? 

    As for writing off other Android appstores you honestly want to claim 750M+ Chinese users of Android devices don't matter, the app stores servicing them "irrelevant"? Seriously? LOL!

    There's sources with data showing Google can sell to less than half the Android install base with the majority of "Android" devices in regions that Google Play does not service. In general there are NO regions selling iOS devices that Apple cannot service are there?

    On a per user basis i have zero doubt you are correct about the potential app revenue. As an OS platform I think you might be wrong. 

    Based on Google's announcement of active Android devices (2.5 billion) and Apple announcing 1.4 billion active Apple devices (of which most are iOS devices).


    I've already explained to you (in great detail in a previous thread) why third party Android stores are irrelevant, so I see a refresher is required.

    There is only one primary benefit to having a large user base with an OS - a better selection of Apps/services. Windows Mobile (and other attempts at a mobile OS) found this out the hard way. However, this requires a "common" OS. Having numerous variations of an OS (for example, Android forks) each with their own little quirks can't be included as part of the entire "Android" ecosystem because they are self contained and offer nothing of value to the rest of the user base.

    The largest group of Android devices using third party stores are all those forks run by various Chinese or Indian carriers. They sell what is basically a feature phone that happens to run Android, and that device is 100% locked down to that particular carrier or to a manufacturer. Those devices don't have access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the other popular Apps that regular Android or iOS users take for granted because all the big developers either don't bother (or simply aren't allowed) to have their Apps on that store. They also don't have access to Google Play. Likewise, the Apps on those stores never come to Google Play (and why would they, since they are designed to work with their own separate ecosystem).

    Bottom line: they contribute absolutely nothing to the Android ecosystem as a whole. None of their revenue is going to outside developers and none of their IP (if they had anything of value) is bringing new ideas/features to other Android users.

    The other type of third party store is where users of "regular" Android devices might go to look for Apps if they want something not on Google Play. There's really no reason for a third party Android store to exist when you have Google Play. However, one look at these stores tells you all you need to know. Lots of pirated or cracked Apps, clones of popular Apps or Apps that would never be allowed in Google Play because they violate their terms and conditions. Developers of quality Apps don't bother bringing them to these stores and none of the developers using these stores have much of value to offer us since their business model is pretty much stealing. Again, they contribute nothing to the Android ecosystem as they are simply leeches looking to make money stealing others work. And this is before we even talk about the malware issue with third party stores.


    So yes, these stores are irrelevant. If they all disappeared overnight it would have ZERO impact on Android. Owners of all the popular Android devices (Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and others) wouldn't even notice they were gone since they contributed NOTHING to how well their devices work. They are only relevant to themselves.
    You're still mixing Google Android and Android as an OS to come to arrive at an invalid conclusion. 

    Where do you think Android apps sold in Chinese app stores come from, a magic wand? You seem unaware of what apps are even available from those stores and where they come from. Those same developers making games for iOS for instance also make them available to Android app stores, but the revenues never included in these stories you read on AI using Western statistics and conveniently including Chinese revenue only for iOS.  Even ignoring every other app store worldwide do you have any figures for the Chinese Android app revenues that developers are seeing? 

    If you actually take the time to read the report this AI article is based on it's using 5-year averages and estimates to imply Android app revenues are not growing like iOS ones. A couple months ago the same Sensor Tower gave this comparison based on more recent data and estimates.
    https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2018

    It appears from various reports that China alone accounts for about a third of Apple's AppStore revenues, with no Chinese revenue's included in any of the Android app store figures you've seen here. Since you continue to insist that iOS platform app revenues vastly exceed those of Android as a platform any idea how much those missing revenue figures are? Since you say they are irrelevant you obviously have some evidence they are minimal. Links are always appreciated. 

    IMHO the revenue from Android app stores as a whole, not just that (roughly) half the segment using Google's version, probably exceeds that of Apple's sole source App Store, but I'll be happy to consider the possibility I could be mistaken once I see those non-Google Play app revenues you insist are irrelevant  and offering proof of in your follow-up.  

    FWIW on a totally related point app availability would hardly be irrelevant to Chinese users of Android handsets much as you'd like to imply it is, When apps sell the developer creating them benefits and the value of further developing for the OS grows.

    Google Play does not represent Android app sales as a whole. Rough back-of-the-envelope math leads me to believe Google Play may account for south of 60% of total Android platform app revenues considering the number of competing Western app stores taking some smallish percentage probably well under 10% in total, India maybe 5% (but growing) and China perhaps as much as a third. 

    So what does the article you're commenting about say then? Apple makes $Billions from selling compatible apps and getting richer. Google makes fewer $Billions from selling apps and is also getting richer. The article is not comparing the overall iOS market revenues to the overall Android market revenues. AFAICT Mr Dilger or whoever the author of the piece was doesn't have the figures to do so, and if there's "analysts" out there like Signal Tower or App Annie or someone else who does know that aren't publishing them for whatever reason they might have. 


    No, you're trying to include disparate versions of "Android" so you can claim it generates more revenue or has better numbers than The App Store.

    Eric Schmidt famously stated in Dec 2011 that Android would surpass iOS for developer interest because "developers go where the market share is".

    He wasn't wrong. He just vastly oversimplified how developers see the market. If your OS is spread over dozens of markets with the majority of them closed off to you (like Chinese carrier forks) then that market share is meaningless as if offers no benefits to the developer. If your market share is composed of $50 disposable devices that market share is also meaningless because developers know those customers won't spend money on your Apps.

    The rest of your post is nonsense and you clearly never actually bothered to read what I posted.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 33 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    gatorguy said:
    sflocal said:
    Has there ever been a blip in the history of GooglePlay where it made more than iOS, even for one minute?
    Nope. Never will.

    There's too many Android appstore alternatives and Google Play lacks access to 100's of millions of Android handsets in regions they don't service. They'll still manage several $Billions in profit but certainly not as much as Apple.

    That's not the reason why Google Play will never match The App Store. Currently Google Play has about 2x the users as The App Store for a market share difference of 66% to 33%. Yet despite that clear advantage The App Store still generates substantially more revenue. This is simply due to the fact that the entire 33% of iPhone users represents flagship users with money to spend. That 66% that Google has includes flagships along with low-end devices. Google Play simply doesn't have enough flagship users to generate revenues to match The App Store. Further, there are no quality Android tablet Apps to generate revenue so Apple basically has this entire market to themselves.

    Third party stores are irrelevant, except to people trying to claim Android is somehow winning at "something".
    Not doubting you're 100% accurate but where did you see that Google Play has twice as many active users as the AppStore? 

    As for writing off other Android appstores you honestly want to claim 750M+ Chinese users of Android devices don't matter, the app stores servicing them "irrelevant"? Seriously? LOL!

    There's sources with data showing Google can sell to less than half the Android install base with the majority of "Android" devices in regions that Google Play does not service. In general there are NO regions selling iOS devices that Apple cannot service are there?

    On a per user basis i have zero doubt you are correct about the potential app revenue. As an OS platform I think you might be wrong. 

    Based on Google's announcement of active Android devices (2.5 billion) and Apple announcing 1.4 billion active Apple devices (of which most are iOS devices).


    I've already explained to you (in great detail in a previous thread) why third party Android stores are irrelevant, so I see a refresher is required.

    There is only one primary benefit to having a large user base with an OS - a better selection of Apps/services. Windows Mobile (and other attempts at a mobile OS) found this out the hard way. However, this requires a "common" OS. Having numerous variations of an OS (for example, Android forks) each with their own little quirks can't be included as part of the entire "Android" ecosystem because they are self contained and offer nothing of value to the rest of the user base.

    The largest group of Android devices using third party stores are all those forks run by various Chinese or Indian carriers. They sell what is basically a feature phone that happens to run Android, and that device is 100% locked down to that particular carrier or to a manufacturer. Those devices don't have access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the other popular Apps that regular Android or iOS users take for granted because all the big developers either don't bother (or simply aren't allowed) to have their Apps on that store. They also don't have access to Google Play. Likewise, the Apps on those stores never come to Google Play (and why would they, since they are designed to work with their own separate ecosystem).

    Bottom line: they contribute absolutely nothing to the Android ecosystem as a whole. None of their revenue is going to outside developers and none of their IP (if they had anything of value) is bringing new ideas/features to other Android users.

    The other type of third party store is where users of "regular" Android devices might go to look for Apps if they want something not on Google Play. There's really no reason for a third party Android store to exist when you have Google Play. However, one look at these stores tells you all you need to know. Lots of pirated or cracked Apps, clones of popular Apps or Apps that would never be allowed in Google Play because they violate their terms and conditions. Developers of quality Apps don't bother bringing them to these stores and none of the developers using these stores have much of value to offer us since their business model is pretty much stealing. Again, they contribute nothing to the Android ecosystem as they are simply leeches looking to make money stealing others work. And this is before we even talk about the malware issue with third party stores.


    So yes, these stores are irrelevant. If they all disappeared overnight it would have ZERO impact on Android. Owners of all the popular Android devices (Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and others) wouldn't even notice they were gone since they contributed NOTHING to how well their devices work. They are only relevant to themselves.
    You're still mixing Google Android and Android as an OS to come to arrive at an invalid conclusion. 

    Where do you think Android apps sold in Chinese app stores come from, a magic wand? You seem unaware of what apps are even available from those stores and where they come from. Those same developers making games for iOS for instance also make them available to Android app stores, but the revenues never included in these stories you read on AI using Western statistics and conveniently including Chinese revenue only for iOS.  Even ignoring every other app store worldwide do you have any figures for the Chinese Android app revenues that developers are seeing? 

    If you actually take the time to read the report this AI article is based on it's using 5-year averages and estimates to imply Android app revenues are not growing like iOS ones. A couple months ago the same Sensor Tower gave this comparison based on more recent data and estimates.
    https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2018

    It appears from various reports that China alone accounts for about a third of Apple's AppStore revenues, with no Chinese revenue's included in any of the Android app store figures you've seen here. Since you continue to insist that iOS platform app revenues vastly exceed those of Android as a platform any idea how much those missing revenue figures are? Since you say they are irrelevant you obviously have some evidence they are minimal. Links are always appreciated. 

    IMHO the revenue from Android app stores as a whole, not just that (roughly) half the segment using Google's version, probably exceeds that of Apple's sole source App Store, but I'll be happy to consider the possibility I could be mistaken once I see those non-Google Play app revenues you insist are irrelevant  and offering proof of in your follow-up.  

    FWIW on a totally related point app availability would hardly be irrelevant to Chinese users of Android handsets much as you'd like to imply it is, When apps sell the developer creating them benefits and the value of further developing for the OS grows.

    Google Play does not represent Android app sales as a whole. Rough back-of-the-envelope math leads me to believe Google Play may account for south of 60% of total Android platform app revenues considering the number of competing Western app stores taking some smallish percentage probably well under 10% in total, India maybe 5% (but growing) and China perhaps as much as a third. 

    So what does the article you're commenting about say then? Apple makes $Billions from selling compatible apps and getting richer. Google makes fewer $Billions from selling apps and is also getting richer. The article is not comparing the overall iOS market revenues to the overall Android market revenues. AFAICT Mr Dilger or whoever the author of the piece was doesn't have the figures to do so, and if there's "analysts" out there like Signal Tower or App Annie or someone else who does know that aren't publishing them for whatever reason they might have. 


    No, you're trying to include disparate versions of "Android" so you can claim it generates more revenue or has better numbers than The App Store.

    Eric Schmidt famously stated in Dec 2011 that Android would surpass iOS for developer interest because "developers go where the market share is".

    He wasn't wrong. He just vastly oversimplified how developers see the market. If your OS is spread over dozens of markets with the majority of them closed off to you (like Chinese carrier forks) then that market share is meaningless as if offers no benefits to the developer. If your market share is composed of $50 disposable devices that market share is also meaningless because developers know those customers won't spend money on your Apps.

    The rest of your post is nonsense and you clearly never actually bothered to read what I posted.
    Example Tencent: How are other markets "irrelevant" to them, "closed off to the developer" as you would like to pretend,  when they obviously make their apps available for sale in stores other than Apple and Google's own? Now if you want to change the measuring stick to "how does Google benefit" that's a different discussion. 

    IMO the only reason you're calling my post nonsense is because you either just now realized or more likely already knew you didn't understand the market to begin with. You have no numbers to dispute my opinion that Android as a platform may well be seeing more total revenue flowing to developers than Apple's as a platform or you would have posted it. Thus your silly un-insightful and dismissive "nonsense" claim. 

    Why not just admit you don't know?
    edited June 2019
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