North America plays a very central part in the app economy. Firstly, it is home to the companies that create all of the leading mobile platforms. These include some of the largest developer communities. Secondly, it is the largest creator of app revenues. We estimate that in 2013, North American app developer trends contributed 42% of the world’s app economy. Developer mindshare in the region is also considered particularly valuable by OEMs and tools vendors. This is due to the disproportionate global shares of both venture capital and media coverage focussed on the region. North America is often the starting point for new developer trends with high smartphone penetration and relatively mature 4G networks.
For those that seek to understand developer trends and preferences in North America we have created a new report which compares the region to the rest of the world. The report covers developer mindshare for platforms, languages and tools. It also includes revenues and deeper dives into enterprise and game developer markets.
North America App Developer Trends report: Questions answered
- Why are developers in North America more likely to target mobile browsers than those in the rest of the world?
- Android mindshare is higher than iOS in North America. But by how much?
- Despite lower mindshare, iOS is prioritised by more North American developers than Android. But how many?
- How much more revenue does a developer in North America earn on average than one elsewhere in the world?
- How is that extra revenue distributed amongst the developer population and across platforms?
- Which revenue models are most popular and which are the most successful in North America?
- Enterprise developers in the region make significantly more revenue than those targeting consumers. How many times greater is the average revenue?
- Which revenue models do these enterprise developers favour? What’s their share of the total revenue pie?
- Games are also monetised differently than other apps. Which are the most popular revenue models for North American game developers?
- Ad networks are the most popular category of tool globally but not in North America. What’s more popular there?
- What’s the breakdown of developer tool usage across platforms in the region?
The North American App Developer Trends 2014 report includes many more insights and explanations of key trends. If you need to know more about developers in the region then this report is for you.