Millennial reckons Android generating 54% of all app revenue in the US
Platform set for wider developer support in 2011
Time was Millennial Media's Mobile Mix reports felt like they wrote themselves, with Apple's share of the pie in the US growing month after month to a peak of 70 percent back in March.
Since then, however, Apple's lead has almost been halved thanks to the growth of Android.
The two platforms now sit atop of Millennial's smartphone mix for the second month running, each platform accounting for 39 percent of the smartphone market.
As you were
Movement elsewhere is virtually non existent, the only change being a 1 percent loss in RIM's market share to 19 percent.
However, such a figure means BlackBerry comfortably remains the third largest smartphone platform in the US.
In light of this, Millennial uses the report to cast some light on the app market – a particularly topical theme at the moment – also touching on just where developers plan to move their business to in 2011.
Closing the app gap
The headline figure is that on Millennial's network Android apps accounted for 54 percent of all revenue in the US in November.
Though this is a fresh category on Millennial's reports, the firm claims Android app revenue has grown 10 percent a month, on average, for the last four months.
Apple, though sporting a far larger array of apps on the App Store, holds second spot according to Millennial's figures, with iOS apps accounting for 39 percent of app revenue across the month.
As such, it's no surprise many developers plan to add support for Android to their roster in 2011. In total, 29 percent of studios say they'll develop for Google's platform next year, with iPad and Windows Phone 7 tied in second spot on 20 percent each.
It is, of course, easier for these newer formats to come out on top in such surveys, given the majority of smartphone developers already support iPhone.
Nonetheless, the app culture Apple arguably gave birth to is now spreading to its closest rivals, and the ability to hold on to a bevy of exclusive releases – or even a sense of differentiation – looks like it will be a far harder task in the years to come.
You can read the full Mobile Mix report for November on Millennial Media's website.
