Mobile app market to slow, but on pace for 210 billion apps by 2020, says IDC
Mobile app installs will top the 210 billion mark and generate $57 billion in direct, non-advertising revenue in 2020, according to IDC data.
That tally is up from the 156 billion installs and $34.2 billion in 2015, said IDC.
The research firm is projecting that mobile app install volume and direct revenue growth will slow over time due to a mature smartphone market. Mobile install volume will have a compound annual growth rate of 6.3 percent. Direct revenue from mobile apps will have a compound annual growth rate of 10.6 percent over the next five years.
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As for the two primary ecosystems--Apple's App Store and Google Play--IDC said Apple will continue to dominate direct revenue growth. Apple's App Store had 58 percent of global direct revenue in 2015, up 36 percent from 2014.
However, Apple's global app install volume was 15 percent due to the volume of Android devices, which use Google Play. Google Play has 60 percent of install volume and 36 percent of direct revenue in 2015. It's worth noting that IDC didn't include ad revenue in its forecasts and figures. Google and Facebook are expected to dominate mobile advertising.