1）Gartner最新报告指出，手机应用商店2012年下载量为640亿次，预计2013年将增长至1020亿次。

预计今年免费应用下载量将占91%；预计到2017年IAP在所有应用商店收益中将占比48%，远甚于去年的11%。

但报告也显示，随着人们“定额”下载应用（无需再购买新软件）趋势的发展，这些数据增长将急剧减缓。

apps-word(from digitaltrends)

预计平均每台iOS设备每月下载量将从今年的4.9次降至2017年时的3.9次，Android设备每月平均下载量则将从今年的6.2次降至2017年时的5.8次。

2）据venturebeat报道，手机游戏开发商Digital Chocolate日前将位于巴塞罗那的工作室（有47名成员）出售给法国发行商育碧公司。

army attack(from insidesocialgames)

除了该工作室员工之外，育碧还收购了包括《Army Attack》、《MMA Pro Fighter》和《Zombie Lane》等手机游戏在内的所有权。

Digital Chocolate由EA创始人Trip Hawkins于2003年创立，Hawkins于2012年辞去该公司首席执行官职务，还关闭了位于芬兰赫尔辛基的工作室，并裁员180人。

3）据venturebeat报道，最近有传言称亚马逊正在开发新版Kindle Fire HD，该公司将通过升级原版Kindle Fire设备，为那些无力支付原设备价格的用户提供入门级平板电脑。此外，亚马逊还将升级Kindle HD 8.9寸平板电脑，提供更优质屏幕、电池寿命和内部构件，令其运行更为迅速。

kindle fire 8(from notebookcheck.net)

报道称新版Kindle HD将更为轻便，采用新外现设计，其音控按钮也将移到侧面。

4）据pocketgamer报道，GamesGrabr最新调查报告显示，社交媒体已经超越传统的游戏检索功能，成为玩家发现新游戏的重要渠道。

Feed-Post-Issue-Farmville(from fvkings.com)

45%玩家现在是通过好友推荐，而非自行通过应用商店检索而找到新游戏。45%玩家会选择社交媒体平台的应用推荐功能，而非搜索引擎来寻找新游戏——这意味着谷歌等网站在游戏检索方面的影响力正在下降。

5）Distimo最新应用分析报告指出，尽管亚洲市场在崛起，美国在2013年8月仍是最具盈利性的应用市场。

日本仅次于美国，值得注意的是，Google Play在日本占据主要市场份额。排名第三的是韩国，韩国是唯一从Google Play创造多数收益来源的市场。

Revenue-distribution-by-Country-August-2013（from Distimo)

由于Google Play尚未进驻中国市场，中国Android应用收益主要来自运营商和其他发行渠道，因此Distimo并未统计该市场的Android收益。

Market-Growth-August-2013-Apple-App-Store-and-Google-Play(from Distimo)

报告指出，今年8月份Google Play市场份额为35%，苹果App Store则占比65%；而在今年3月份，Google Play仅占比25%，苹果占比75%。App Store目前仍然最具盈利性，但Google Play所占份额正在逐月增长。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Annual mobile app downloads will hit 102 billion this year

by Phil Tottman

Numbers expected to drop by 2017 as the new-app-novelty wears off.

Mobile app stores will see an increase in downloads from 64 billion in 2012, to 102 billion by the end of this year, reports Gartner.

91 per cent (92,876) of total downloads this year will be free apps where as paid apps will only account for 9,186.

IAPs (in app purchases) will generate 48 per cent of app store revenue by 2017, which is a massive increase from just 11 per cent last year.

However in later years, these figures are expected to slow drastically as people download their ‘quota’ of apps, and will no longer have need to purchase new softeware.

A favoured number of apps will take priority over newer platforms as users will feel safer and more confident using them, resulting in numbers of apps purchased or downloaded for free drop.

Average monthly downloads per iOS device is predicted to fall from 4.9 this year to 3.9 in 2017, and Android will see a decrease from 6.2 to 5.8 in 2017.

Saying that, IAP will drive the app industry shooting up from 17 per cent this year to 48 per cent in 2017 – and even though it will also slow, this will become the main money making method for app stores and developers.

Brian Blau, research director at Gartner, said: “IAP is a promising and sustainable monetisation method because it encourages performance-based purchasing; that is, users only pay when they are happy with the experience, and developers have to work hard to earn the revenue through good design and performance.”（source：mobile-ent）

2）Digital Chocolate sells its Barcelona studio to Ubiosoft

Jeffrey Grubb

Mobile-gaming developer Digital Chocolate is selling its 47-person Barcelona studio to French publisher Ubisoft (as first reported by TechCrunch).

In addition to the employees, Ubisoft also purchased the rights to Digital Chocolate Barcelona’s original properties. Those include mobile games like Army Attack, MMA Pro Fighter, and Zombie Lane.

We’ve contacted Ubisoft for comment on how it plans to use Digital Chocolate. We’ve also reached out to Digital Chocolate for comment on this deal. We will update with its response.

Digital Chocolate is a mobile developer based in San Mateo, Calif. It now maintains offices in California, Seattle, St. Petersburg, and Bangalore.

Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins founded Digital Chocolate in 2003. The company is probably best known for its feature-phone games like Tower Bloxx and Tornado Mania!. The company is struggling. It currently doesn’t have any games in the iOS highest-grossing charts.

In 2012, Hawkins stepped down as chief executive officer. The developer also closed its Helsinki office and laid off 180 people.（source：venturebeat）

3）Leaked photos reveal Amazon’s new Kindle HD 2

Tom Cheredar

It’s about time for Amazon to roll out a refreshed crop of Kindle e-readers and tablets, and BGR was able to grab a few photos of what appears to be the next version of the Kindle Fire HD today.

Rumors about Amazon’s next line of Kindle devices have already been circling over the past few months. Instead of releasing new products, Amazon is planning to update its original Kindle Fire as an entry level tablet for those not looking to spend a lot of money. The Kindle HD and Kindle HD 8.9-inch tablets are also due for an update — each with better screens, improved battery life, and upgraded internals to make it run faster, too.

As indicated in previous reports, the new Kindle HDs should be lighter and feature a new body design with sloped back and less pronounced curved edges. The volume buttons are also relocating to the side.

Amazon typically only rolls out a hardware refresh for its Kindles once per year, usually just in time for the busy holiday season. And now that Apple has made its announcements about the new iPhone, hopefully Amazon will follow suit by unveiling its new line of devices.（source：venturebeat）

4）Almost half of all gamers rely on friend recommendations for game discovery

by Matthew Diener

A new study commissioned by the GamesGrabr social network suggests traditional methods of game discovery are waning as recommendations over social media gain more influence.

The study suggests 45 percent of player now seek out what games to play in their spare time not by searching app stores, but rather asking their friends.

Indeed, said 45 percent also chose taking to social media platforms for app recommendations over search engines – a fact which suggests that sites like Google might become less important to how games are discovered.（source：pocketgamer）

5）Chart of the Week: Putting Chinese mobile game revenues into context

by Jon Jordan

With the top top grossing spots in the App Store and Google Play static, Distimo’s monthly app analysis has taken a more broad approach in August.

In particular, the market intelligence company has taken a look at the top 10 countries by app revenue.

Our place in the world

Of course, these positions are also fairly static, but it’s good to remind ourselves that despite the rise of Asia, the US remains the most lucrative market.

Japan is close – and interestingly – Google Play is a much larger part of the market there.

Meanwhile, in third place, Korea is the only market where the majority of revenues come from Google Play.

Of course, we need to talk about China in this context.

Google Play isn’t enabled on Chinese Android phones (at least in terms of generating sales) so all the Android revenue comes through carrier and other distribution channels; something Distimo doesn’t (yet) measure.

G8 rules

As for the remainder of the top 10, their market breakdowns are broadly the same.

Don’t ignore the slow rise of Google Play revenues on a global basis though.

As Distimo points out, while iOS revenues are increasing slowly, Google Play is up 50 percent in five months.（source：pocketgamer）