Windows 8 Sees More App Downloads, but Apple Generates More Revenue

By David Tobia
November 29, 2012

In an effort to spur the success of Windows 8, Microsoft offered 20,000 apps through the Windows app store during its first month — and users have downloaded the top 300 apps at a rate three times higher than Apple’s top 300 apps, writes TechCrunch.
But while Windows has seen a high volume of downloads, about 86 percent of the apps are free, which has resulted in Apple generating revenues five times as high as Windows, according to research from Distimo.
Windows has thrived in localized content. For example, 41 percent of the top apps in Japan are local applications, while 30 percent of Korea’s applications are local.
“The strong local proportion, Distimo notes, is because of two reasons. One, Microsoft has been effective at marketing them to local audiences. Two, there are actually a higher proportion of local apps. The percentage of apps that are U.S.-only in the Windows 8 app store is 65 percent, compared to 85 percent and higher in most other app stores,” writes TechCrunch.
The best way for Windows to monetize the app growth may not be to charge for the apps, but to use the app store popularity as an incentive to upgrade to new versions of Windows as they are released, suggest the post. If Windows can make the app store an essential part of the Windows ecosystem, people will be more inclined to upgrade to new software.

No Comments Yet