Apple traditionally brags about the size of its App Store, but the vaunted app repository may actually have gotten smaller, not bigger, last year.
The App Store reportedly declined 5 percent in size in 2017, from 2.2 million apps at the start of the year to 2.1 million by the end. And that’s no bad thing.
The App Store is home to millions of apps and has powered countless billions of app downloads since its launch in 2008.
The latest figures, released by app analytics firm Appfigures, indicate the App Store shrank for the first time.
Fewer low-quality apps in App Store
If the data is accurate, part of the reason for the downsizing is that developers released fewer new iOS apps in 2017 compared to the previous year. The bigger reason, however, is because of an Apple decision — dating back to 2016 — to remove apps no longer compliant with up-to-date guidelines. Specifically, the company booted out any apps not built on 64-bit architecture. It also weeded out many virus-scanning apps, clone apps and a variety of other low-quality offerings.
That means that, despite having slightly fewer apps to choose from, the remaining apps available to download should be of higher quality.
iOS apps vs. Android
Appfigures’ report also breaks down a few other interesting App Store tidbits. For example, while China’s developer community continues to grow, the U.S. still represents the overwhelming source of new apps. In terms of combined iOS and Android apps, the United States shipped a whopping 33.5 percent of new apps in 2017. China, in second place, shipped 15.9 percent — despite having a population of 1.379 billion to the U.S.’s 325.7 million.
The Google Play Store, meanwhile, saw the debut of 1.5 million new apps in 2017, next to 755,000 on iOS.
The report also notes that a considerably higher percentage of apps start on iOS and then go to Android, rather than vice versa.
What do you think of the state of the App Store in 2018? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Via: The Verge
