Japan overtakes the US as leading market for app revenue

It's also the only major country where Google Play and iOS are tied for profit.
Japan is a trailblazer when it comes to technology, recognised as a leader of 4G adoption, while 42 per cent of locals own smartphones – up from 28 per cent in 2012.
Given that, new data from App Annie shows Japan has overtaken the US for app store revenue leadership as consumers continue to leave feature phones behind.
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It's a remarkable achievement, particularly when you consider 39 per cent of Americans owned smartphones last year, which is now up to 44 per cent.
Furthermore, the Japanese population of 127 million is less than half that of America's 317m.
App Annie says one of the key reasons for the turnaround is because Japanese consumers have been familiar with making digital purchases on advanced feature phones, which has made the transition to smartphone purchases pretty seamless.
Interestingly, Japan is also the only major country where app spend on Google Play is on par with App Store, which is a massive change of direction from a year ago when iOS doubled Android.
There a five stand-out publishers leading monthly game revenue, including GungHo Online – whose Puzzle and Dragons game has topped 20m downloads andpartnered with Angry Birds – messaging company Line, Colopl, Sega and Namco Bandai.
The share of Japanese smartphone users is set to hit 62 per cent in 2014, overtaking the US in that sector too, as America is set to hit 50 per cent next year.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/apps/japan...revenue/042494