ABI Research says it expects expects mobile application downloads from iOS (the Apple operating system) and Android to account for 78% of all app downloads in 2010. Just over half of all apps – 52% – will be for iOS.
Bhavya Khanna, wireless research analyst at ABI, said "The iTunes App Store’s days of being the only game in town are over, although the store will continue to be the biggest player in the market. However, downloads from other platforms, such as Blackberry’s App Store and Nokia’s Ovi Store remain sluggish, hampered by a lack of variety and fragmentation among both manufacturers’ many devices."
The report also notes that making money from apps will become a difficult proposition, with the market expected to peak in 2011 with annual sales of just under $8 billion.