More than 500 million applications for the Apple iPhone have been downloaded from the California company's online App Store, but a new study indicates that users quickly lose interest in them. The study by Pinch Media found that fewer than five percent of iPhone users are still actively using an application a month after downloading it.
Apple iPhone users loss interest in free programmes slightly faster than in paid ones, said Pinch Media, a company which offers advise to developers of applications for the hot-selling smartphone. "Paid applications generally retain their users longer than free applications, although the drop-off is still pretty steep," it said.
It said only one percent of total downloads has a long-term audience. The company said the "biggest usage differentiator" is category. "Games are used for longer periods than any other type of application," Pinch Media said.
The study also found that only 30 percent of the iPhone users who purchase an application from the App Store use it the next day. Apple announced last month that more than 500 million applications for the iPhone have been downloaded since the App Store was opened in July. More than 15,000 programmes are currently available from the App Store. For the study, Pinch Media analysed 30 million downloads from the App Store.