How profitable are Apple's iOS apps? Even Hollywood box office can't compare

According to the technology blog readwrite, analyst Horace Dediu pointed out in a blog post that iOS apps bring more revenue than Hollywood. Apple announced earlier this month that iPhone and iPad app developers earned $10 billion in 2014. Taking into account Apple's 30% share, iOS app business revenue is about $14.3 billion, which exceeds the approximately $10 billion in US movie box office.

That underscores the scale of the mobile app business, a remarkable achievement given that it was virtually nonexistent before 2008, when Apple launched the App Store.

That doesn't mean all app developers are reaping the rewards. In fact, according to VisionMobile, 50% of iOS app developers and 64% of Android app developers earn less than the "app poverty line" -- less than $500 per app per month. But overall, at least, the App Store business looks to be booming. There are more than 1.4 million apps in the App Store.

Lest Android app developers miss out on the mobile app gold rush, Google a few months ago offered developers tips on how to generate revenue through Google Play, which has more than 1.3 million apps.

Developing apps for the Android platform is not easy. Developers will find that they must test and debug their apps on a large number of different types of devices, a problem that affects iPhone app developers to a much lesser extent. Last year, Google's efforts seemed to be paying off: the growing number of Android devices laid the foundation for app revenue to surpass iOS.

Obviously, device sales have a direct impact on app development because device sales "dictate" the size of the potential user base.

Samsung's mobile device sales slowed last year, while Apple's iPhone sales exploded last quarter. In the fourth quarter of last year, iPhones accounted for 50% of mobile phone activations, up 28% from the third quarter, according to Consumer Intelligence.

There will be some interesting developments in the Android space this year. Google's modular smartphone, called Project Ara, looks very attractive. Samsung also poached Lee Don-Tae from Apple's Jony Ive's design firm, hoping that its products, including mobile phones, will be as attractive as the iPhone.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.