Apple iPhone App Store Is All About The Games

Games are the most popular applications downloaded from the Apple App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch, a recent study has revealed.

Games dominate the list of the top 15 applications downloaded, illustrating that the Apple iPhone is a gaming device more than a productivity tool for mobile applications, according to iTunes App Store analytics outfit Distimo, which conducted the study.

Nine out of the top 15 paid-for applications from the Apple App Store in July were games, the Distimo study revealed. Of the remaining six applications among the top 15, two of them are considered entertainment applications, two are photography applications and one is a social networking tool. The No. 1 downloaded application from the App Store in July was "The Moron Test," a 99 cent entertainment application.

And while the study determined that the iPhone is more of a gaming device than a business tool, the same Distimo research found that not one game made it into the top 15 applications paid for in the Google Android Market, the application store for Google Android-based smartphones. Instead, the top 15 list for Google Android was dominated by tools and productivity software, with Power Manager Full, a 99 cent tool, topping the list.

Distimo pointed out, however, that the results could be skewed, considering Google Android has a different classification for games.

When it comes to free applications, Distimo found that there is more diversity among the top 15, though six games were among the top 15 for Apple's App Store. The remaining nine were a combination of entertainment, weather, reference, travel, social networking and other types of applications.

For Google Android, the top 15 free applications downloaded from Android Market was also diverse, with entertainment and multimedia applications leading the charge.

And while the study uncovered that the Apple iPhone is more widely used as a gaming device, it also cleared up the misconception that Apple App Store applications are more expensive than applications in the Google Android Market.

As for game pricing, the study found the most popular Android Market games cost between 99 cents and $5.95, with most selling for around $2.99, while in the Apple App Store, most games are priced lower, around 99 cents, with only a few reaching the high-end $6.99 to $9.99 range.

"Pricing of applications in the Apple App Store and Android Market is quite similar, except for the reference category, which has a much higher average price on the Google Android Market," the study noted.

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