The number of games downloaded for the iPhone and iPod Touch outnumbers all other categories, according to a report by App store analytics website, Distimo.
30 percent of sales through the Apple App Store are for games, making up the largest chunk of downloads. Google Android users are buying more tools and true applications, according to the research.
Within paid downloads, the report showed that the App Store had a much lower price distribution, with the largest plurality in the App store coming in the 99 cent category, Android’s falling at the $2.99 price-point.
A possible explanation, not posited by the report, is that many Apple App Store users view 99 cents as a drop in the bucket, especially if they were using an iTunes Gift Card. Android Marketplace downloads are paid for through Google Checkout and are much more likely to be charged to the user’s credit or debit card, resulting in less impulse buys.
The report studied the top 15 applications purchased for the iPhone. Nine of them were games, while not one game made the Android top 15. On the flipside, not one productivity or utilities app appeared in Apple’s top 15.
This discrepancy could be seen as due to the fact that the App Store’s larger number of overall apps, it’s harder for a productivity App to shine in the same way a game might.
Apple’s App Store features over 60,000 Apps, whilst the Android Marketplace has about 5,000.
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