Global mobile app revenues to exceed $30bn by 2015

Juniper Research predicts that the combined revenues from apps funded by pay-per-download (PPD), value-added services (VAS, including freemium and subscription) and advertising will rise from just under $10 billion in 2009 to $32 billion in 2015.

Screen Digest has forecast that revenues from apps will double in the next four years, reaching €100 billion a year by the end of 2013.

Juniper adds that while the Apple App Store is storming ahead – with 4 billion downloaded apps by April 2010 – brands and developers should not ignore other platforms, particularly in markets developing markets where iPhone usage is very low.

According to Analysys Mason, the number of smartphones in use worldwide will grow at an annual rate of 32% between 2010 and 2014, while comScore research claims the UK smartphone market has grown 70% over the past year, to more than 11 million subscribers.

Juniper Research report author Dr Windsor Holden said: “If the mobile industry wishes to introduce a model based on applications, then it must ensure that those applications are accessible by a wide range of handsets ranging from smartphones to mass market devices.”