This is interesting. This article could sway you in a certain direction when deciding which smartphone o/s to run with. Check out which O/S is more expensive after the jump.
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Have an Android device? If so, you’re paying a lot more for apps than your friends with an iPhone.
The top paid apps in Google’s Android Market are priced “dramatically higher,” than those in Apple’s App Store, according to a new survey from market research firm Canalys. How much more? Android apps actually cost 2.5 times more, on average, than apps for the iPhone, Canalys said.
“In the U.S., to purchase the top 100 paid-for apps in the Android Market would cost $374.37 — an average of $3.74 per app,” the company said in a statement. “The top 100 iPhone apps would cost $147.00, or $1.47 on average per app.”
The same was true for users in Germany, India, Singapore, and the U.K. And, the gap is even wider for top 20 apps, which are priced, on average, $1.04 for iPhone users and a whopping $4.09 for those with an Android.
Canalys attributed the price disparity to the different retail environments fostered by Apple and Google. In Apple’s store, price competitiveness is key and in-app purchases, which generate revenue beyond the initial app payment, are becoming increasingly accepted. Meanwhile, fewer people are willing to pay for apps in the Android Market, so developers have to charge more for their apps to make money.
“Selling more apps at higher prices is the Holy Grail for developers, but achieving big volumes of paid apps on Android is no small challenge,” Rachel Lashford, Canalys’ managing director for mobile, said in a statement. “More aggressive price competition around Android apps would help to encourage more consumers to make their first app purchases, drive greater download volumes, and ultimately be good for the vibrancy of the app ecosystem.”
The survey also showed that iPhone and Android users have different interests when it comes to apps. In the U.S., just 19 apps made their way onto the top 100 paid lists for both stores.
Top apps are also pricier in the Android Market than they are in the Amazon AppStore, according to a separate report released this week by mobile analytics firm Distimo.
