ABI Research expects just under 6 billion mobile applications to be downloaded this year, up from an estimated 2.4 billion in 2009. It says the rapid adoption of smartphones, up 20% last year, and the proliferation of application stores are the major drivers for this expansion.
Apple's iPhone is forecast to dominate mobile app downloads for the next few years, with Android leading the competition. The number of annual downloads is expected to peak at around 7 billion in 2013, with revenue from mobile app sales declining by 2012.