Distimo’s new app survey has many interesting data nuggets. One fascinating insight is that Apple had 18% app revenue growth in December over November, while Google Play app revenue growth was 17%. This is more interesting than it seems at first glance, because Google Play has been able to deliver far faster app revenue growth over the past two years, outpacing Apple app revenue growth by as much as fourfold according to some sources. Cheap Android phones are popular Christmas gifts and tend to lead to strong Android app revenue spikes in December. So how come Apple was so strong in the Christmas of 2013?
One possibility is that the wider new iPhone selection may have expanded Apple’s Christmas season appeal, even if the 5s it outselling the 5c by a mile. It’s also possible that Google Play’s period of hyper growth may be starting to taper off. Either way, it’s interesting that Apple has been able to snap Google Play’s app sales growth winning streak.
