iOS developers said to earn more from app sales than Google makes from its mobile business

Developers who build and sell apps for Apple’s iOS platform will collectively earn more money over the next year than Google will earn from its entire mobile business. Following Google’s third-quarter earnings report last week, David Barnard, founder of App Cubby, posted an interesting observation on his company’s blog. Google reported a run rate of $2.5 billion for its mobile ad revenue based on third-quarter earnings, up from $1 billion a year earlier. While that growth is impressive, Barnard noted that Apple paid developers about $500 million during the 89 days between July 7th and October 4th for a run rate of $2 billion. Add to that the money third-party ad networks like Milennial Media and Admob pay out to iOS developers over the course of a year, and “the iOS developer run rate is likely higher, maybe even significantly higher, than Google’s mobile run rate.”

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