App Store: a study commissioned by Apple praises the competition

Apple commissioned a study to Analysis Group to look into the App Store and the results of this survey suggest that the competition is more than positive on the app store. This comes as Apple faces pressure to open its App Store, allow third-party payments and sideloading.

A study around the App Store

Apple’s goal is to present facts about the ecosystem the App Store has created and the content developers create for it. The first part of the study focuses on the many ways developers can reach consumers outside of the App Store, through non-iOS devices such as other smartphones, PCs, and consoles, and through through other digital marketplaces. The second part focuses on the growth of the App Store over time (there are now 1.8 million apps), of which 99.9% are third-party apps, as the study does not fail to point out that Apple only has 60 apps that compete with third-party apps.

A comparison between Apple’s apps and the competition

Another interesting element is the comparison with Apple’s own applications. The study shows that Apple rarely represents a majority. Thus, WhatsApp is 0.6 times more used than iMessage in France. It’s 0.5 times for Messenger. For its part, Spotify is 1.6 times more used than Apple Music (Deezer is at the same level as Apple Music). For Google Maps, usage is 2.1 times higher than Apple Maps. On the video side, Netflix is ​​35 times more popular than Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video is 5 times more popular.

The Digital Markets Act will hurt Apple

Here are some points put forward by Apple:

• Third-party apps are the only options consumers have for entire types of apps, including social media, dating services, travel arrangements, and food and drink.
• Leaders in application types often vary from country to country, and many regional leaders outperform their globally competitive counterparts.
• Third-party apps are most popular among iPhone users in most regions for major app types, including music streaming, series and movie streaming, reading, communication, and mapping apps .
• For many types of apps, apps from Apple account for a relatively small share of app usage by iPhone users. This is the case even though some Apple apps are pre-installed to enable the basic functionality of the device.
• iPhone users often use multiple apps in a single category, especially apps for communicating, reading the news, watching videos, or browsing — highlighting the ease with which users can switch between apps. another and the breadth of possibilities offered to developers.

As a reminder, the Digital Markets Act in Europe should (normally) allow for sideloading, third-party application stores and messaging interoperability (iMessage, WhatsApp, etc.).