How big is the mobile app market?

Writing on the WIPjam blog Thibaut Rouffineau provides an interesting observation which raised a few questions about the size of the mobile app market. Thibaut notes:

Fragmentation has been a statement of fact in the mobile development world for as long as one can remember, and the situation has only become worst with the rise of iPhone and Android. The resulting dilemma was all fairly well summed up…as I heard at a recent mobile marketing seminar, “All big brand want an iPhone app as the key to their mobile marketing strategy until we tell them this is only 2% of the market, then starts the real discussion”.

Upon reading this I thought: a) 2% is still a huge market share for one handset and in marketing terms, no mobile has ever enjoyed the kind of press coverage that the iPhone does.

b) If the iTunes app store has enjoyed over one billion downloads in roughly two years, what should Ovi be aiming for? And what about Android? Blackberry App World?

Well, we all know that Apple was less than selective in order to hit that download target, and now seem to be making up for it in spades as, like sullen doormen, they exercise the right to refuse entry to the club.

The truth is that the addressable market for apps is whatever size you want it to be but undoubtedly greater than you would expect. Why do I think that? Because that is my experience.

In MO-Call, we’re offering a free app that provides a paid utility service, the app is available for download from our websites and a dozen other well-known portals. In just over a year we exceeded five hundred thousand downloads and we’re now well on our way to our first million. Downloaders have come from over one hundred and fifty countries around the world.

All that without a love-in from the International Press and the kind of marketing budget that, at times, might just have covered Google’s annual coffee and doughnut bill. If you haven’t downloaded MO-Call yet, get across to the website and start saving money on your calls now.