iPhone users now download an average of 7.6 free applications and 2.6 premium apps each month according to mobile advertising network AdMob's July 2009 Mobile Metrics Report--not too shabby, but compare that to a new study commissioned by GetJar, which reports that one in three of the independent app store's users are downloading applications every single day. That's the most impressive takeaway from the survey, which paints a compelling portrait of the average GetJar user: 81 percent of the roughly 13,500 users surveyed are male, 65 percent fit between the 18-to-34 age range, and 61 percent of consumers download content from the store at least three or four times a week. In addition, eight out of 10 GetJar users have recommended a mobile app to a friend, and 72 percent claim they now access the mobile web more often than they surf the Internet on their PC.
GetJar consumers not only fall into a desirable demographic profile--they're also agreeable to mobile advertising efforts. In fact, eight out of 10 GetJar users report consciously downloading applications containing mobile ads, 73 percent look favorably on brands that use mobile apps to promote their products and 74 percent say they would actively download an app sponsored or developed by a well-known brand.
GetJar doesn't generate the buzz that surrounds rivals like Apple's App Store or Google's Android Market, but maybe it should: It now boasts more than 50,000 applications available across about 1,600 handsets, including both smartphones and feature phones. GetJar exceeded half a billion application downloads in mid-July, and founder and CEO Ilja Laurs recently told the Guardian that the store racks up 55 million downloads per month, up from 18 million in January 2009. And late last month, GetJar announced that the Opera Mini mobile browser has been downloaded more than 25 million times through its storefront, which the firm says makes it the most downloaded application ever from any app store to date. So who cares if GetJar doesn't generate buzz? It generates downloads, and ultimately, that's all that matters. -Jason