If you’re unfamiliar with Distimo, they are an app analytic company dedicated to application stats from the leading mobile app stores. In sum, they tell you what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to mobile applications. They’ve recently released their latest publication, iPad – Two Years In Review. While looking through it some interesting findings have come up which I’d like to highlight. First and foremost, I believe that the older generation who grew up reading old fashioned newspapers are beginning to embrace and adopt tablets and technology at a fast rate. How so? You may ask. Continue reading to find out.
There is a trend that is found in the Apple App Storefront which lets us know that iPad users are willing to dish out for premium content offered by newspapers and magazines in the Newsstand category.
The Newsstand is, six months after its launch, already one of the most revenue generating categories, as the top 100 most grossing Newsstand applications generate 70K per day in the U.S. only.
That said, going back to my theory that states that the older generation are beginning to embrace and adopt tablets and technology correlates to the booming popularity of Newsstand applications. Think of it. The older generation who grew up reading newspapers are beginning to realize the power and efficiency behind tablets and mobile technology. Instead of waiting for a printed paper to show up at their doorstep or having to take the time to purchase the paper at a local shopping market, users can now have access to the latest news right at their fingertips and for an affordable price.
Also, the report states that users are willing to dish out for premium content which is safe to say, its the older people are spending money on these applications not the younger crowd. Looking at a larger sample size its safe to say that the average 17 year old is more interested in paying for the newest Angry Birds Space game rather than paying for a newspaper subscription application.
What does this mean?
For developers, it means traction is gaining and there is money to be made by developing these apps. We’re only looking at the iPad here so you can imagine what the numbers would look like having these apps made for multiple platforms such as the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet among other tablets.
For the market, it means that the older generation who once grew up reading printed paper are starting to adopt tablets and mobile technology more which means companies like RIM need to take this into consideration and go from here. Marketing and services need to be addressed accordingly.
For newsstand providers, it means that although the decline of the printed newspaper is about to take a steeper dip there is still hope for you to keep your business alive by providing this content onto tablets, computers, and mobile devices. And no, not just for Apple. These services need to be made available for ALL platforms, including the PlayBook tablet. 😀