iPad app downloads had their first positive quarterly growth in four years during the first three months of 2020, app analytics platform Sensor Tower claims.
In a new report, the firm says that quarterly downloads of apps for the iPad surpassed 1.1 billion worldwide in Q1. Meanwhile, consumer spending in iPad apps crossed $2 billion for the first time ever. Not bad for a time when the world is in the midst of coronavirus lockdown.
The report, published Thursday, notes that:
“China was responsible for the largest number of March’s new iPad app installs at 151 million, its third best month and largest March ever. The United States saw monthly iPad app downloads surpass 100 million for the first time since January 2016 last month, a figure 47 percent higher than March 2019.”
iPad apps are coming up Milhouse (in certain categories)
The biggest categories of iPad apps installed were games and entertainment. Games received almost 603 million installs globally. This was an increase of 52% from the 398 million installs iPad enjoyed in the last quarter of 2019. Entertainment apps also jumped 33% from the last quarter to hit 88 million installs.
In third place in terms of categories were education apps, which reached a record 105 million worldwide. This is the first quarter ever in which education apps have topped 100 million downloads.
These figures shouldn’t necessarily be a massive surprise. We already knew from previous reports that top games are raking in cash right now during lockdown. Similarly, there’s been a huge demand for iPads to aid with e-learning. Kids and older learners unable to go to school or university helps explain the massive increase in education apps.
Photo: Sensor Tower
Finally, Sensor Tower’s report notes that spending is up on iPad. This, too, matches other trends in the App Store. In the first quarter of 2020, users spent around $893 million in iPad apps. That’s an increase of 15% from the last quarter. The majority of spend was from customers within the United States, followed by China.
