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| App Store 'full of zombies' claim on Apple anniversary | App Store 'full of zombies' claim on Apple anniversary |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Apple's App Store is populated by many "zombie" programs which get next-to-no downloads, new research suggests. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
| Apple boss Tim Cook said the store had "fundamentally changed the world". | Apple boss Tim Cook said the store had "fundamentally changed the world". |
| Speaking to app developers at the firm's recent developer's conference, the chief executive said: "Customers love the buying experience and they love your incredible apps. And they have now downloaded 50 billion apps. | Speaking to app developers at the firm's recent developer's conference, the chief executive said: "Customers love the buying experience and they love your incredible apps. And they have now downloaded 50 billion apps. |
| "That's a lot of zeros and a truly staggering number." | "That's a lot of zeros and a truly staggering number." |
| 'Very small' | 'Very small' |
| But according to Adeven the size of the US firm's app store, which has about 900,000 products, has left many developers struggling to get noticed. | But according to Adeven the size of the US firm's app store, which has about 900,000 products, has left many developers struggling to get noticed. |
| "579,001 apps out of a total of 888,856 apps in our database are zombies," the analytics firm said. | "579,001 apps out of a total of 888,856 apps in our database are zombies," the analytics firm said. |
| It defines zombies as apps which never appear in any of the thousands of charts published by Apple which are tracked on a daily basis. These cover different categories, price and other criteria for each country's version of the store. | |
| "We call the apps that hold no position anywhere in the world zombies because they do not generate a significant amount of downloads to sustain their further development," explained Paul Muller from Adeven. | |
| "We can't say exactly how many downloads they have - Apple doesn't reveal this - but it is very small. | |
| "They may still receive a couple of downloads every day - maybe even up to 100 or so - but that is not going to be enough for a developer to capitalise on or draw motivation from to support the app." | |
| Adeven's research follows on from another survey conducted by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. | Adeven's research follows on from another survey conducted by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. |
| It indicated that some 68% of smartphone owners used five or fewer apps on a weekly basis, with many of their other "impulse" buys losing their appeal almost instantly. | It indicated that some 68% of smartphone owners used five or fewer apps on a weekly basis, with many of their other "impulse" buys losing their appeal almost instantly. |
| App developer Malcolm Barclay told the BBC that the amount of "zombie" apps was not a surprise - but argued that there was "safety in numbers". | App developer Malcolm Barclay told the BBC that the amount of "zombie" apps was not a surprise - but argued that there was "safety in numbers". |
| "There's a lot of apps in the store that are not downloaded for good reason, they're awful. | "There's a lot of apps in the store that are not downloaded for good reason, they're awful. |
| "It's about making yourself attractive. If you have an attractive application that does what it sets out to do, Apple will help it get noticed." | "It's about making yourself attractive. If you have an attractive application that does what it sets out to do, Apple will help it get noticed." |
| Paolo Pescatore, director of apps and media at CCS Insight, said developers faced visibility issues across all platforms, not just with Apple's store. | Paolo Pescatore, director of apps and media at CCS Insight, said developers faced visibility issues across all platforms, not just with Apple's store. |
| "We track the top apps being downloaded from all the major app stores and it's always the same names. | "We track the top apps being downloaded from all the major app stores and it's always the same names. |
| "We very rarely see new players breaking through. They face a monumental challenge." | "We very rarely see new players breaking through. They face a monumental challenge." |
| Influence | Influence |
| Zombies aside, the launch of the App Store in 2008 is widely regarded as a game-changing moment for how we consume technology. | Zombies aside, the launch of the App Store in 2008 is widely regarded as a game-changing moment for how we consume technology. |
| It has inspired other companies to follow suit, with Google, Microsoft and Blackberry among those to have launched their own stores. | It has inspired other companies to follow suit, with Google, Microsoft and Blackberry among those to have launched their own stores. |
| Apple says it has paid out $10bn (£7bn) to app developers - three times more, it boasts, than all the other app stores combined. | Apple says it has paid out $10bn (£7bn) to app developers - three times more, it boasts, than all the other app stores combined. |
| The "app economy", as it has become known, has also been responsible for disrupting the video games industry. | The "app economy", as it has become known, has also been responsible for disrupting the video games industry. |
| Companies such as EA have shifted to offering downloads of many of their titles for free, and make money through in-app sales of power-ups and other add-ons. | Companies such as EA have shifted to offering downloads of many of their titles for free, and make money through in-app sales of power-ups and other add-ons. |
| Those that do charge an upfront fee are still relatively cheap. | Those that do charge an upfront fee are still relatively cheap. |
| In particular, the popularity of Rovio's Angry Birds - which has made millions through franchising and merchandise sales - has made some games publishers consider if the established model of charging £30 or more for console and PC titles could become a thing of the past. | In particular, the popularity of Rovio's Angry Birds - which has made millions through franchising and merchandise sales - has made some games publishers consider if the established model of charging £30 or more for console and PC titles could become a thing of the past. |
| Even so, the development has not been without controversy. | Even so, the development has not been without controversy. |
| Apple, which takes a 30% cut of all sales through its online marketplace, was recently forced to offer refunds to parents who had found themselves facing unexpected bills as a result of in-app purchases by their children. | Apple, which takes a 30% cut of all sales through its online marketplace, was recently forced to offer refunds to parents who had found themselves facing unexpected bills as a result of in-app purchases by their children. |
| Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC |