BI Intelligence: The global mobile app market is expected to reach $46 billion in 2016

On the afternoon of January 17, 2012, according to the latest report released by market research organization BI Intelligence, the global mobile application market size is expected to reach 46 billion US dollars by 2016.

Today, more than four years have passed since Apple launched the iPhone App Store. The mobile application store has become one of the fastest growing software markets in the world, creating a wealth of opportunities for countless software developers.

In its latest report, BI Intelligence identifies and compares the major app stores, highlights app economy trends, reveals the platforms that developers are most excited about, and assesses Microsoft's efforts to make a comeback with Windows 8.

Here is the report’s overview of the current app store competition landscape:

Mobile app store revenues will see explosive growth: Including paid downloads, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and advertising revenues, mobile app store revenues will reach $46 billion in 2016, far higher than the $8.5 billion in 2011.

Apple's iOS App Store is still in a dominant position: AppShopper data shows that the total number of applications in Apple's App Store is currently about 689,000. Apple's advantage is that the App Store has a powerful development environment, spares no effort to promote high-quality applications, and has achieved smooth integration with iTunes accounts and credit cards.

Google Play is gaining momentum: the number of apps in Google's Android app store exceeded 600,000 in June last year. Due to the economic downturn in recent years, users have cut spending, making free apps more popular. However, this trend has brought an impact on the revenue of the app ecosystem. On the iOS App Store, each active user can contribute $1 in revenue, while on Google Play, the contribution is only $0.24.

RIM is getting back on its feet: BlackBerry maker RIM is in trouble now, with the latest generation of BlackBerry operating system delayed more than 10 times and scheduled to be released early this year. Unless you are a die-hard fan of BlackBerry devices, as an ordinary developer and user, it is best to wait and see and not buy it too early.

The future of the Windows platform is uncertain: Microsoft released Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 last fall. Windows Phone 8 faces a "chicken and egg" dilemma: without the support of a large number of popular applications, the appeal of Windows Phone 8 phones will decrease; without the support of millions of users, developers' interest in the Windows platform will also decline. For Microsoft, their opportunity in the mobile market is fleeting, and if they fail to grasp it, they will miss the opportunity for development.