In a new report from app store analytics firm Distimo, it was revealed that prices of iPhone apps worldwide have decreased by 15% during the period from Dec. 1st, 2009 through the end of February, with Australia having the largest relative price decrease of 27% overall.
The report, which breaks down iPhone app pricing by category and geographic region, indicates games are still the most popular category by far, representing 39% of the total leading apps in the App Store in North America. In Australia, gaming apps are even more popular, with 51% of the leading apps coming from the gaming category.
The most popular applications are the most expensive in Europe, the report suggests, with an average of $3.86 per app, and the least expensive apps are in North America, with an average of $2.43 and Asia, with an average of $2.69. Although it seems less expensive applications are more popular in North America and Asia, it’s likely caused by the fixed price tiers that Apple uses for converting app prices to other currencies.
As more and more apps flood the various marketplaces, prices should continually fall, especially as competition among developers heat up. While app prices are falling, the landscape will undoubtedly change once advertising-supported models take hold via integrated development platforms. Apple, for example, will soon enable developers to easily monetize their app via advertising during the development process instead of being forced to charge higher per-app fees to consumers.
