In the past we have stated that choosing a smartphone platform is very important because depending on the platform you choose, it also determines how many and what kind of apps you get access to. We reckon this is important if you plan to use your phone as more than a phone, as a device that can view documents, spreadsheets, edit videos, make music, and so on.
However according to a recent survey conducted by Deloitte, it turns out that smartphone owners these days don’t seem to care a lot about apps. In fact according to their report, 31% of smartphone users in the UK do not download any new apps on their phones in a typical month. This is an increase from 2013 where it was around the 20% mark.
The report goes on to state that nine in ten people don’t spend money on apps or other smartphone related content, suggesting that free apps are the most favored. Now before you get worried about the state of apps and the app market, you can relax as Deloitte notes that the decline in downloads is due to the increase in smartphone owners above the age of 50.
Apparently these older customers aren’t as interested in using their phones for data intensive purposes, but rather use them for text messaging or phone calls. Deloitte also offers another explanation which is that smartphone owners tend to only use apps their friends use, so obviously if you’re looking to use a messaging app, you’ll want to use one that most your friends are using instead of one that only one or two uses.
It is also possible that the market has somewhat plateaued as most smartphone owners have already found a set of apps that they’re happy with, but this is only speculation, but what do you guys think? Have you noticed that you or people around you have started downloading less apps as of late?
Filed in . Read more about Apps.