SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwire) - The mobile applications market has had strong growth over the past several years, as a result of the addition of new products, players, and business models. This growth will continue, driven mainly by increased smartphone penetration, as well as growth in consumer mobile application libraries. As a result, In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) expects mobile application downloads to reach nearly 48 billion in 2015.

"The prevalence of handset touchscreens is a significant development impacting the mobile applications market," according to Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst. "The projected rapid penetration of touchscreen-enabled devices will allow more users to easily interact with mobile applications, thereby driving growth. Increased on-board memory capacity will also lead to a better user experience."

Key data includes:

• Touchscreens will account for nearly 90% of smartphones shipped in 2011, and will increase to nearly 100% in the next several years.
• Smartphones are expected to increase from 23% of total phone shipments in 2010 to 45% in 2015.
• In December 2010, the number of applications in the Apple App Store reached 350,000 while Android Market reached 80,000.
• Survey results show that Apple and Android users are significantly more likely than BlackBerry users to have downloaded mobile applications.
• Smartphone applications are not only about 3G. Almost half of survey respondents report downloading applications over Wi-Fi.

New In-Stat research There's an App for That: Smartphone Application Market Overcrowded but Downloads Continue to Rise (#IN1104930MCM) provides survey results and analysis of what applications consumers are downloading and paying for, as well as the barriers they are encountering, all of which are critical in intelligently addressing this market going forward. This report provides this analysis, including:

• Evaluation of the market landscape
• Targeted primary consumer research on mobile application usage
• Analysis of business models and market strategy
• Comparison of application usage among various devices, specifically Apple, Android, and BlackBerry-based devices
• Forecast of application usage and revenues segmented by OS, distribution channel, and region

About In-Stat

In-Stat's market intelligence combines technical, market and end-user research and database models to analyze the Mobile Internet and Digital Entertainment ecosystems. Our insights are derived from a deep understanding of technology impacts, nearly 30 years of history in research and consulting, and direct relationships with leading players in each of our core markets. In-Stat provides its research through reports, annual subscriptions, consulting and advisory services to inform critical decisions. Technology vendors, equipment manufacturers, service providers and media companies worldwide rely on In-Stat to support critical business, product and technology decisions.