Edible Apple

A recent study from Strategy Analytics shows that the iPhone and iPod Touch, together, accounted for 12% of all mobile app downloads in 2008.  While not strikingly high, the 12% figure becomes somewhat more impressive when you consider that the iTunes App Store didn’t even open until July of 2008.  Not too shabby for 6 months work.

At the same time, the study shows that Apple’s share of mobile app revenue comes in at less than 12%, presumably due to the high number of cheap and free apps available on iTunes.  This, however, is a minor point as Apple views the app store as a means to make the iPhone and iPod Touch more compelling devices, and not as a significant source of income.

It should be pointed out, though, that Apple did have the benefit of being first out of the gate with a quality and polished app store.  With RIM recently opening up an app store for its BlackBerry devices, and with similar stores on the way from companies such as Microsoft and Palm, it will be interesting to see if the iTunes App Store can keep up its current momentum.