Report: Apple's App Store Has Many "Zombie Apps" Never Downloaded

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Report: Apple's App Store Has Many "Zombie Apps" Never Downloaded

engine

11:51 am on Jul 10, 2013 (gmt 0)

That's an interesting stat, if accurate. I imagine it's really tough to get noticed, and the larger developers can probably spend the time an money on raising the profile.

Anyone here with apps that aren't downloaded?

Apple's App Store is populated by many "zombie" programs which get next-to-no downloads, new research suggests.

Figures seen by the BBC from tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are barely ever installed by consumers.

However Apple has said that 90% of all apps in the marketplace - which is marking its five-year anniversary - are downloaded at least once a month.Report: Apple's App Store Has Many "Zombie Apps" Never Downloaded [bbc.co.uk]

It defines zombies as apps which never appear in Apple's master-list of the most downloaded apps worldwide, a chart which runs to over 300,000 places.

dmorison

2:50 pm on Jul 10, 2013 (gmt 0)

It's just the Pareto principle (80:20 law) isn't it?

[en.wikipedia.org...]

lucy24

8:35 pm on Jul 10, 2013 (gmt 0)

Makes sense. F'rinstance my local credit union has an app for online banking. That means, right away, that the entire potential audience is only
:: detour to look up membership ::
60,000 people hmm, much like my own site rather than, say, half the population of the planet. That's quite a few decimal places.

not2easy

10:31 pm on Jul 10, 2013 (gmt 0)

Many apps have only proprietary value for the customers or visitors of a particular site or B&M business but they are in the app store to meet requirements. Rather than a feed reader with a bookmark to partial content, some sites (think art and photo sites) offer more or better images to their app's subscribers. Some restaurants offer an app with updated menu info and a simple reservation option. These aren't for mass consumption but Apple requires developers to have apps cleared via the app store so malicious junk doesn't get distributed.