作者：Kim-Mai Cutler

Google平台分组管理人员Eric Chu于5月11日表示，Android Market每日平均总盈利中有14%来自带有应用内付费功能的应用。

这项数字让人大感惊奇，因为开发商发现在平台上说服Android用户为应用付费会面临许多问题。据应用监测站点AndroidBrain调查所示，尽管应用内付费于6周前（游戏邦注：即第一财政季度末）对消费者开放，但目前使用的应用数不足400款。

Android Market应用内付费

应用内付费已证实是开发商的重要盈利来源。目前在iOS系统上，免费应用在25个上升最快应用中占了14席位置，呈现出行业正渐渐远离付费应用。在Android上，这项方式或许更为重要，因为开发商在这个平台上会面临相当大的盗版问题。

Chu表示去年美国Android Market的总盈利迅速增长了3倍。像日本之类的小市场增加量达百倍，而英国Android Market的盈利也是原来的8倍。

Android Market开发商盈利增加比例

Chu补充道，直接通过运营商付费可以增加用户的转化率，这在亚洲表现的尤为明显。Android用户可以选择用信用卡支付或直接从电话费中扣除。Android Market目前与美国AT&T、Sprint和T-Mobile三大运营商有合作。尽管公司还未发表看法，但此后应该会同Verizon展开合作。

Android Market直接通过运营商付费的表现

直接通过运营商付费对平台来说很重要，因为Google并不像苹果那样拥有超过2亿的iTunes账户和信用卡绑定。这会让用户对付费过程感到不悦，因为他们首次在商店中购买时需要填写一张超长的表格。

随着时间流逝，购买应用或进行应用内购买的用户数也增加了6.5倍。

Android Market付费用户数

这些数据让平台的未来显得更为光明，因为开发商仍然表示他们在Android上的盈利与iOS难以相比。比如，Glu Mobile在近期的盈余电话会议上表示，公司Android应用的收入只有目前iOS收入的1/10到1/8。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Apps With In-App Billing Represent 14% of Daily Revenue Earned Through Android Market

Kim-Mai Cutler

Apps with in-app billing are making 14 percent of the overall average daily revenue in Android Market, Google’s group manager for the platform Eric Chu said today.

This figure really shouldn’t be terribly surprising given the many issues developers have been finding with convincing Android users to pay for apps on the platform. In-app billing launched to consumers at the end of the first quarter six weeks ago and it appears to be powering just under 400 apps so far, according to app tracking site AndroidBrain.

In-app billing promises to be an important source of revenue for developers. On iOS, free apps now make up 14 of the 25 top-grossing apps in the U.S. today, reflecting a strong industry shift away from paid apps. On Android, it may be even more important given the considerable piracy issues developers are facing on the platform.

Overall, Chu said revenue in Android Market is ramping up quickly with a threefold increase in the U.S. over last year. Smaller markets like the Japan have seen a 100-fold increase, while revenue earned through Android Market jumped by eightfold in the U.K.

Chu added that direct carrier billing was helping increase conversion rates — especially in Asia. Android users have the choice of paying with their credit cards or sending their purchases directly to their phone bills. Android Market currently has partnerships with three major carriers in the U.S. including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. While the company hasn’t said anything, we would expect to see a deal with Verizon at some point.

Direct carrier billing is important to the platform, since Google doesn’t have the more than 200 million iTunes accounts (and credit card details) that Apple has. This creates friction in the payment process since users have to fill out a lengthy form the first time they want to make a purchase in the store.

The number of users either buying apps or making in-app purchases has also jumped by a factor of 6.5 year over year.

All of this makes for a very promising picture for the platform. That said, developers are still telling us that they’re only seeing a fraction of the revenue on Android that they can get on iOS. Glu Mobile said in a recent earnings call that its Android portfolio of apps makes one-eighth to one-tenth of what its iOS presence does, for example. (Source: Inside Mobile Apps)