ACT: 32% of iOS developers weren't ranked in the App Store a year ago

Although it may somtimes feel like the charts never change, 32 percent of the top iOS developers were not even ranking in Apple's App Store a year ago, according to ACT/The App Association. The group's iOS App Economy Report spanned the top 400 apps across key categories in the App Store, offering insight on growing app categories and the state of developing.

  • 40 percent of Apple Watch apps fall into the "health" category.
  • The other top Apple Watch categories include weather apps at 34 percent and financial data management at 20 percent. 
  • 77 percent of leading app companies are located outside Silicon Valley with a fairly even balance throughout the country.
  • 80 percent of the top iOS apps come from U.S. companies.

"Apps like Uber and OpenTable have given consumers alternatives in inefficient marketplaces. Remarkably, this market disruption has been felt within the app industry as well," the report says. "Successful apps must constantly update features to retain users and ward off competitors. The App Store is a marketplace where new entrants are able to displace established leaders if their product is better. This is reflected in the number of new entrants."

The iOS App Economy report came out just a few days before Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, and if nothing else it should offer some much-needed optimism for developers who wonder if the App Store is so crowded with potential competitors that their chances of standing out are slim to none. Particularly on new form factors such as the Apple Watch, for example, it's interesting to see that categories like games, which are so big on smartphones and tablets, haven't made a sizable dent. Of course, it's still early days for the Apple Watch, but at least it's not too late for emerging developers to throw their hats into the ring. 

For more:
- see the full report

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