Mobile apps market to reach 25 billion downloads per year by 2015

The number of mobile app downloads is expected to grow to 25 billion per year by 2015 from the 2.6 billion recorded in 2009, a new report from Juniper Research reveals.

The report claims new markets that are coming alongside the Apple App Store, such as the Android Apps Market and the Windows Marketplace, are continuing to grow the industry.

It also cites a number of storefronts in Asia, such as the Chinese Unicorn Mobile Market, the Airtel App Central and GetJar are helping the industry grow.

“Apple has been able to achieve several billion downloads from a comparatively small handset base because customers are buying the iPhone for the apps,” report author Windsor Holden said in a statement.

“That’s not been the case with other handsets. So even if you have a subscriber base of tens of millions, your addressable market is a fraction of that – and spread across a variety of operating systems and handsets.”

The app also noted publishers are offering apps at a “freemium” model, meaning the app is downloaded for free and then users pay for whatever in-app content they choose to use.