Games, entertainment top iPhone app downloads

Games is the most commonly downloaded category of applications among iPhone users, according to a new smartphone user study conducted by web research firm Compete. Seventy-nine percent of iPhone owners have downloaded a game from the App Store--entertainment applications are close behind at 78 percent, followed by weather (57 percent) and music (55 percent). Conversely, 39 percent of iPhone users point to weather-related applications as one of the three apps they use most often, compared to just 20 percent of users who cite games. Twenty-five percent of iPhone users name Facebook as one of the three applications they use most often, while 7 percent favor music discovery app Shazam.

Compete reports only 2 percent of iPhone owners indicate they've not yet downloaded a single mobile application to their device, compared to 27 percent of overall smartphone owners. When asked why they've not added apps to their smartphones, 41 percent said they don't see a need for apps, 33 percent don't wish to spend the money and 13 percent admitted they don't know how. Among smartphone users who have downloaded an application, 24 percent have spent a maximum of $10 to $50 for a single app, with 28 percent spending a maximum of $5 to $10 on a single app. Compete adds that iPhone owners are spending less on individual applications but purchasing more apps overall: 86 percent of iPhone owners have paid at most $.99 to $9.99 on a single app, but 83 percent of them have downloaded at least six apps.  

For more on the Compete Smartphone Intelligence report:
- read this release

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