Are Apple iPhone apps 'sticky' enough?

Jonny Evans
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August 11, 2008
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 Apple boss Steve Jobs told the Wall Street Journal that iTunes is making a million bucks on selling iPhone application downloads each day - but just how 'sticky' are those apps?

Sure, we've played with the 'Wooo' button, messed around with iPint and made a few friends with Crazy Mouth, but what's really happening in the active, profitable iPhone app ecosystem?

Quite a lot, it seems, according to GigaOm, which asked Pinch Media chief, Greg Yardley, for a little information...(in case you haven't heard of it, Pinch Media provides a range of analytical data for iPhone developers). And there's some interesting information to help comprehend the state of the iPhone and third-party application union:

- There's ten downloads of free apps to each purchase of a paid app.

- The pace of downloads is slowing (we do think offering better visibility for new apps as they appear might help boost this - it's a little opaque at present)

- Under 20% of an application's unique users return to an application each day.

- People use the apps for just under 5 minutes at a time

- Most use apps only once per day

- Average number of uses per day is around 1.2

 

More on this right here.

Meanwhile, Apple seems to have gone crazy for banning applications - seems all you need is some small vocal minority to begin making its usual babble, or perhaps some vested interest firm to start banging on on legal, and the Apple team will remove your app at the drop of a hat (which is a shame when some complain it takes so long to get their software uploaded in the first place).

Other notable recent casualties include:

- PhoneSaber - apparently removed because the people with the copyright on Star Wars demanded it.

- Slasher - apparently removed because it featured violence (far better tune into CNN for that).

- Netshare - seemingly removed because AT&T doesn't want Mac users going online via their phone - even though MOST OTHER 3G PHONES ARE CAPABLE OF BEING USED AS A MODEM TO GET A MAC ONLINE!!

- I Am Rich - removed because thousands of people noted how expensive it is, and because a couple of incredibly stupid people didn't understand the significance of the price tag and Buy button. Duh!

Any more out there? Comments...etc., etc.

Comments (18)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 3:39am

Apple shows it's real face with the AppStore.
If they could implement an closed ecosystem like this on the desktop macs, too they would love to do so for sure.

Unfortunately people (=customers in this case) are plain idiots and don't complain.

those people defending this anti-freedom-business are the same people that give their votes to politicians who propagate the "war against terror".

defending the freedom by getting rid of it sounds like a rather stupid idea, but unfortunately most people just don't get it....

well - a "big example" for something like a mobile gadget, but if you think about it... it's the same. apples dictator el jobso claims that giving away your freedom (to do with your property what you want) is a good thing, because it's more secure bla bla bla.

the iphone is really a wonderful device, but carrier exlusiveness and anti-open-source appstore and this closed ecosystem just sucks.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 7:00am

actually, i have to respectfully disagree...having used windows, open source, and macs, i will always vote for the closed ecosystem (and macs are closed, just not quite as closed as the iphone)...the closed ecosystem, despite it's lack of complete freedom, is a more positive experience, in my opinion...and it is an informed opinion, not one dictated by being an "idiot" as you state...

freedom in life is fantastic, but freedom in computing is more likely to produce chaos, in my experience...others will disagree, i'm sure, but don't assume that people who enjoy a closed ecosystem are idiots who don't know what they're talking about...and also don't assume they vote for a war against terror...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 8:10am

This is as stupid as it gets.

What horrible fate. You can't do what you want with your phone. Talk about human rights violations.

Seriously, think before you type, specially in the name of freedom, Mr. Robin Hood. This is the same crap that we see with the stupid media and a bunch of so called journalists in the internet, doing stupid things, all in the name of the freedom of speech.

kid. (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 3:51am

Don't wanna go into this "App Store – good or bad?" discussion at all. I just happen to know of another banned app: It was a free game called 3-tuple (www.3-tuple.com), wich is great fun but a blatant rip-off of the card game Set (www.setgame.com). So the reason were quite probably copyright infringements.

Luis Alejandro Masanti (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 4:28am

(Disclaimer: I do neither own an iPhone nor an AT&T contract)

quote:
"even though MOST OTHER 3G PHONES ARE CAPABLE OF BEING USED AS A MODEM TO GET A MAC ONLINE!!"

If the contract "you signed" says "no tethering", not matter what other cells can do.

Jonny Evans | August 11, 2008 - 6:48am

 Sure - but this is an international product, and different carriers have different restrictions - so why does AT&T suddenly get to decide what constitutes fair use for the world? I get sick to death of Apple's all-US bias - just look at US v UK Mac pricing...

TK (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 6:52am

I'm really surprised there isn't as much of a backlash against the tethering ban. It's absolutely ridiculous that AT&T not only does not allow tethering via iPhone for an additional cost, but flatly bans tethering of any kind, period! Most users are going back and forth on that stupid "I am Rich" app, while features like background processes, copy & paste, and tethering are being forgotten comparatively.

I would really like to hear a real reason as to why AT&T implements such a policy.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 7:40am

In all likelihood, AT&T bans tethering on the iPhone for a number of reasons, but here's two:

1) The "i" in iPhone might as well stand for internet; it's on the internet quite a lot (lots of the AppStore titles are internet-connected). Data plans are the new voice and SMS plans, i.e., they're a big revenue stream for carriers. So, tethering is a BIG revenue item for them. Sure they should force you to use a "business data plan," but they don't. Yet. Give them a little while. Like sharks smell blood in the water, carriers smell money in people's pockets & always come up with ways to make it theirs.

2) The sheer number of people with iPhones has got to put a drag on AT&T's data network. Yes, yes, a ton of EDGE phones are out there. But the sheer number of iPhones out in the wild adds up to a significant amount of bandwidth. And AT&T's already struggling to update 3G across the states...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 8:17am

most tetherimg plans are double the cost of the data plan. Right now ATT doesn't have a tether plan for iPhone. Look at who use the other tether plans. Business people who most likely are doing research or reading email on a larger screen because their 3G phones are horrible to to such things on.

The iPhone is sold to people who wantnto watch videos and movies and stream music. Most likely the would do that and more if tethering is allowed. AT&T network probably can't handle that right now. I would expect the user experience for all 3G phone owners would be horrible if that many people started hoging the bandwidth. Then you have many more complaints then just a few iPhone owners whining about not being able to tether.

stephen (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 8:43am

First off iPint was pulled off the App Store some time ago as was NetShare, Light, IamRich, BoxOffice and probably a few others. This brings me to my point. Apple claimed they would be certifying apps for the App Store as if they would do at least some testing to insure the apps would not destroy the iPhone.

I think we can now safely conclude that Apple tested NOTHING, and is using the App Store as a pure money grab, to the tune (pun intended) of $30 million. Good business? No, I think short cited. The app store is now filled up with useless crap that quits and crashes iPhones.

Out of the some 1500 apps they have if 100 of them are worth while I be surprised. I was one of the dummies who spent some $100 in apps. Most of them are useless and buggy, crash your iPhone and leave you with what many users are calling the "white logo of death." It is clear Apple tested nothing, put most anything in the App Store and then pulled a few later.

My iPhone 3G has crashed so many times it is not funny. Causing me to carry my Blackberry to have a working phone when it happens. What good are apps the crash the iPhone?

The iTunes and iPhone updates have done nothing to help. Take a look in your Mobile Application folder and see how many copies of the same app you have in there! Does your iTunes have ANY idea when your apps need or don’t need updating? My doesn’t. Sometimes iTunes want to update the same app with 5 to 7 copies of the same app! Then it makes more copies of the same file, instead of overwriting them or deleting the old ones.

Tethering would be nice, but having a stable phone is even more important I think. Until Apple fixes this I have totally given up on apps!

terry (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 3:32pm

" Good business? No, I think short cited."

Unless you're using abbreviated footnotes, the expression is short-sighted.

" I was one of the dummies who spent some $100 in apps. Most of them are useless and buggy"

Buggy is inexcusable. But the system has updated my buggy apps, so the solution's working.

As for spending $100 on apps, "most" of which are useless, isn't that really your fault? I can understand the excitement of the new app store, and the candy-store appeal of being able to add neat new stuff to our iPhones. But if an app's "useless" and you buy it, I wouldn't be too hard on the app store. Most people here are complaining about apple's restraining vendors: if they're leaving it to the marketplace to decide which apps are useless and which aren't, that's giving us a pretty free hand, not interfering.

andy (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 9:40am

Does anyone know why BoxOffice was pulled? I understand the rationale for all of the other removals, even if I don't agree with it, but what was the reason for the removal of the BoxOffie app? I've had it on my phone for a while now and haven't had any problems with it, with the occasional exception being that it doesn't always find the independent theatres.

Jeff (not verified) | August 12, 2008 - 9:25am

I think BoxOffice was renamed.

Mitch1984 (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 10:50am

Are other 3G phones that allow tethering sold with an unlimited data plan though?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 11:00am

grammer this on forum horribul

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 4:24pm

The AppStore needs a way to tag your favorite apps while you choose which ones you actually want to buy. I don't like going back and having to remember the cool app I ran across during my lunch break. Tagging one's favorites to put in a sort of shopping cart would be awesome.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 11, 2008 - 7:30pm

yes a shopping cart or wish list would be nice but I just use the Tell A Friend feature. It emails me a link to the app so I can store it in my email and check back later. Give it a try!

Jeff (not verified) | August 12, 2008 - 9:24am

My question is why doesn't Apple do with with music. There are songs in the iTunes store that are WAY more offensive/violent than the Slasher app.