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APPS ARE THE lifeblood of smartphones and tablets, but this position may be under threat as their importance diminishes, according to new research.
New findings from business advisory firm Deloitte has found that almost a third of smartphone users (31%) do not download any apps for their devices, with the firm suggesting that the volume of app store sales will soon reach a plateau.
In comparison, less than one in five did not download apps last year meaning the average number of apps downloaded per month fell from 2.32 to 1.82.
Perhaps more worryingly for app developers, nine out of ten smartphone users never spend money on apps or other smartphone content.
This was mainly put down to most new smartphone adopters are older and therefore less inclined to download or pay for apps.
Also, people who have owned smartphones for several months usually have a preferred collection of apps they use, and are largely influenced by what their friends download.
Recently, both Apple and Google had published studies claiming that their app stores support hundred of thousands of developers in Europe. While certain games like King’s Candy Crush Saga has experienced a decline in consumer spending, others like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has been said to be performing well with the latter expected to make $200 million this year.
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I think the novelty is wearing off. How many times have you downloaded and app and thought it sounded great only to sheepishly delete it three months later having opened it once.
I’ve done it countless times except I’ve deleted within 10 minutes.
There comes a point where you have everything you need
So you’ll only download something else if it’s better or perhaps based on recommendations
Kim f*%&ing Kardashian f£#*ing Hollywood is expected to make $200m??? That’s it, I’m going to go live under the sea.
I think they are getting stale
No. Apps will always be with us. Phone technology demand apps as the way software is delivered. And it makes total sense of course. Apps are required to give your smartphone some functionality. True, we don’t open up the AppStore everyday with anticipation, but we have evolved to know which apps we really do need.
The phones memory is way to small apple are you listening
54 songs
298 photos
23 videos
80 apps
16 gig gone, full, done
Zipity zip
Sort it out fools
HINT
External memory is the answer
For what it’s worth, if rumours are to be believed, the smallest iPhone 6 will be 32GB! Hopefully, because I’m in the same boat as ya!
The quality of so many apps has gone way down. Id say that is a factor, along with constant updates
This app for example.
Exactly
The novelty has worn off..
Since I replaced my last phone I couldn’t be bothered reloading most of the apps that were previously on the phone. I haven’t paid for an app in over 6 months.
I think there should be a clear distinction between apps that are free or ones that charge , saying that it’s a worry people won’t spend on apps is totally misleading , I like hailo app , Ryanair app etc etc , but I expect the app to be free , I pay to use the service like taxi or flights , this in my opinion is the correct business model for apps , sayings it’s a worry people won’t spend on them is misguided , I expect them to free if they are enticing me to use a companies services , of course there were new novelty apps that won’t sustain , as things mature the useful good apps will continue and the crap will fade away , but don’t be expecting people to always want to buy apps . Free apps for better services is way to go
I’m not purchasing additional storage from Apple, so I can’t install more apps.
Simple.
Another factor could be that mammys are getting smart phones and they don’t know how to work them so they aren’t downloading apps.
Tad sexist there Conor, no?
Plus agist
Or honest. In a world where people are super keen to be offended you simply can’t make an observation that’s most likely true.
Or maybe, Connor, dipsticks who write misogynist comments need a ‘grow up’ app
@conor people being offended by this comment are just looking to be offended. But it’s not just auld ones to be fair. There are plenty of people who can barely use a computer and geT smart phones of all ages. People geT them cos they are trendy but are not willing to actually learn. My mother got a smart phone and educated herself on how to use it and now owns possibly more tech devices than me!!!
You wouldn’t geT a car with out knowing the basics of how to use it!!
I know one girl who is not auld and used the facebook app to ask people did they know the phone number for some place. So they used an internet enabled device to ask for a number rather than oh I don’t know Google?
I am no longer on facebook due to injuries enduced by face palms….
Why is there a T at the end of the word get in your comments ?
Because the phone’s auto dictionary tends to select that version of get despite it not being the first in the available options as I type. And I would select the correct version each time but as I am currently unwell I cannot be arsed!!!!!
News apps, especially Irish ones, are completely ruined with advertising at this stage. The Indo and the Irish Times are the biggest culprits.
As most of the sites I’d visit on a regular basis have mobile UI’s, I’ve just deleted the native app on my phone and bookmarked the mobile site. They’re far, far better and there is no loss of functionality.
The bookmarked version of the Journal hides the address bar, which is very bad for UX, how am I supposed to refresh the page to see new comments?
By downloading the free app? I suppose they could get rid of the ads by offering a paid version of the app so you can go ad free but you probably wouldn’t be happy then either.
Everything is gone short term now
This week it is one fad
next week it will be something else
peoples attention spans are getting shorter and shor……..
Oh look a little brown dog……..
Where am I going again?……..
Damo, that made me laugh, but it’s oh so true
Boredom is setting in most games are sameo sameo apps tend to be a variation on a theme We need something original and different
Some people don’t need apps. Some people just want a phone and there isn’t a whole lot of decent alternatives since smart phones took over.
Also, the app market is saturated with clones of clones, most of which are hack jobs by devs looking to make a quick buck.
I can’t speak for anyone else but I personally pay close attention to the permissions an app requests. I’ve declined to install many because they requested permissions not necessary for their function.
I don’t load apps anymore because my phone is out of space at this stage. I refuse to pay for extra iCloud space so that’s what I’m stuck with. Sick of all the app updates too (which I usually don’t have the space for either). Have pared them down to the basic apps I actually use. Agree that a lot of the newer apps seem to be clones of others anyway so not much interest in wasting time on those. I have also refused to download plenty of apps because of their completely unnecessary access requests – there’s a reason those apps are free!
Yea, I rarely download games anymore- they are all basically the same. But I think social media has essentially been ‘gamified’ and the main dopamine rush for people which isn’t great when you stop and consider so many people are walking around with their head stuck in their phone 24/7.
When Three introduced carrier billing on the Play Store, I started buying apps. I buy about 10 per month when they go on sale.
I have an “addiction” of downloading apps. I regularly browse appfire for apps that are free for the day & enjoy browsing the AppStore. But as many as I download (I have a lot), I rarely ever use them. Some I love and won’t delete even if I don’t use them regularly, some I have paid a fair buck for too. My mam just upgraded to the motorola moto g and said she’d get into it, but not a chance! She only likes quiz up. As older people upgrade, it’s only natural that they won’t be downloading apps left right and center. They’re just not interested, they know what they like & fair do’s to them. There should be more basic phones released. Not everyone wants a smartphone.
One of the best apps I ever had is “Train Drive ATS”. Apps and developers like this deserve more recognition than the likes of the Kim kardarsian & Candy Crush Saga franchises. There are quality apps and developers out there … trouble is, finding them.
I believe mobile usage for apps and Internet browsing in general has topped out, not that I think it’s going to decline, but more just steady out.
have your say