Survey Finds Ovi Store Beating App Store in Developing Markets

By Geoff Duncan January 26, 2010

nokia-n900-wide_keyboard

Apple’s App Store might be the top mobile application marketplace in North America and Europe, but a survey or mobile developers conducted by Evans Data Corporation in December finds that Nokia’s Ovi Store is the top player amongst wireless developers in emerging markets—and Microsoft’s Window Marketplace for Mobile also had some significant traction. Somewhat surprisingly, monetization opportunities in a mobile platform weren’t always a top priority for developers in the survey: instead, they were more concerned with mobile OS’s, application runtime environments, and development tools.

“The app store model is now an expected part of any wireless developer program,” said Evans Data CEO Janel Garvin, in a statement. “And while Apple’s iPhone App Store set the pace in North America and Europe, Nokia has been busy cultivating developers outside the U.S. in their traditional offshore strongholds, and has been remarkably successful in the short time of the Ovi store’s existence.”

The survey polled some 400 wireless developers, and used quotas to ensure the North America, APAC, Latin America, and EMEA regions were adequately represented.

The survey also found that developers are targeting Intel’s mobile platforms more than processors from any other manufacturer (including ARM and Nvidia), and that programmers most likely to tap into server-based applications from mobile applications using Java Data Objects. Mobile apps also have a fast development cycle, with over 60 percent of them being completed in six months or less.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Apple
Apps

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Mobile

App developers get relief from Google tax in one of Android’s biggest markets

Tinder on the GooglePlay App Store.

Just over a week ago, Google was fined approximately $113 million in India for forcing its in-house billing system on developers making Android apps. While the fine was hefty in and of itself, the laundry list orders issued by the Competition Commission of India were the real concern for Google.

The company has now complied with the most controversial directive by removing the mandatory Google Play billing policy for in-app purchases made in India. In an official update, the company notes that it is “pausing enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Google Play's billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions.”
Why does it matter?

Mobile

This EU law could force Apple to open up iMessage and the App Store

Someone holding an iPhone 14 with the display turned on.

The EU's Digital Markets Act (or DMA) has gone into force today. It could force Apple to open up the iPhone's iMessage and app-buying platforms to third-party apps and services. Companies that fall afoul of the act could be fined up to 20% of global turnover. Apple has previously criticized the DMA for being a "blunt instrument."

The DMA aims to allow smaller services to compete more equitably with larger ones. This means that companies with a certain number of users, labeled as gatekeepers, would have to make their platforms interoperable with smaller ones. Large platforms like Facebook or iMessage, for example, would be required to open up, while something like Signal could scrape by.

Mobile

Google’s Android monopoly finds its biggest challenge, and Apple might be next

Apps screen on the Google Pixel 7.

The Competition Commission of India slapped Google with two hefty fines over anti-competitive strategies that have allowed it to dominate the mobile ecosystem in India. Totaling over $250 million, the penalties reprimand Google for forcing smartphone makers to avoid Android forks, prefer Google’s web search service, and pre-install popular cash cows like YouTube on phones.

Google was also disciplined for forcing its own billing system on developers that allowed the giant to take up to a 30% share of all in-app purchases for applications listed on the app store. Google is not really a stranger to titanic penalties; The EU handed Google a record-breaking fine of approximately $5 billion in 2018 for abusing its dominant market position — a penalty that was upheld in September this year following Google’s appeal.