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Mobile App Downloads to Reach 48 Billion in 2015

The mobile device applications market has grown rapidly, as a result of the addition of new products, players, and creative business models. This growth will continue, driven mainly by increased smartphone penetration, as well as growth in consumer mobile application libraries.

According to the latest market study by In-Stat, mobile application downloads are forecast to reach nearly 48 billion in 2015.

"The prevalence of handset touchscreens is a significant development impacting the mobile applications market," said Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst at In-Stat.

The projected rapid penetration of touchscreen-enabled devices will allow more users to easily interact with mobile apps, thereby driving growth. Increased on-board memory capacity will also lead to a better user experience.

In-Stat's latest market study findings include:

- Touchscreens will account for nearly 90 percent of smartphones shipped in 2011, and will increase to nearly 100 percent in the next several years.

- Smartphones are expected to increase from 23 percent of total phone shipments in 2010 to 45 percent in 2015.

- In December 2010, the number of applications in the Apple App Store reached 350,000 while Android Market reached 80,000.

- Survey results show that Apple and Android users are significantly more likely than BlackBerry users to have downloaded mobile applications.

- Smartphone applications are not only about 3G. Almost half of survey respondents report downloading applications over Wi-Fi.

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