Is there a future for native apps?
Recent research seems to casts doubt on the future growth of the once-thriving app economy. According to Deloitte, almost a third of UK-based smartphone users no longer download new apps in a typical month. This finding has been replicated by Comscore in the US. Worryingly, Deloitte also reported that nine out of ten users never spend money on apps. Even the seemingly infallible Candy Crush Saga profits are slumping much faster than expected. So, has the notoriously short digital attention span already moved on? What are the reasons behind this ‘app fatigue’, and are there any implications for the place of native apps in future business models?App fatigue The smartphone market is close to saturation in developed countries, with roughly half the number of first time buyers in 2013, as there were between 2010 and 2012.