The term "app gap" suggests a numeric disparity exists between the number of apps available on iOS and Android and that of Microsoft's Windows Store.
However, as I mentioned in "Part I of this series: Human behavior, the overlooked variable" , the term "app gap", has evolved to also include a "quality of app" factor. Thus "app gap" now carries the additional connotation that there is a quality gap between some of the apps of the dominant platforms and Microsoft's.
There has, however, been an even more dramatic evolution of the term. Due to how it is presented in most reporting without the context of how the average smartphone user (at least in the US) behaves in relation to apps, "app gap" has further evolved to mean a dramatically inferior or nearly unusable smartphone experience if a consumer chooses Windows Phone.
Though not explicitly stated this way clear recommendations away from Windows Phone and other inferences strongly imply this. This logic, however, is not necessarily valid. Human behavior is a critical factor to incorporate when we consider the empirical data of the app quantity and sometimes the quality disparity between Windows phone and iPhone and Android apps.
In Part I, we gave a broad view of the effect of human behavior on app usage and the general smartphone experience of the average US smartphone user. We surmised that the impact of certain missing apps from the Windows Store would not dramatically affect the average smartphone user's experience. This conclusion was reached based on an analysis of the 2015 US Mobile App Report which presented data reflecting human behavior in relation to apps.
In this piece we will look more closely at that data and talk in greater detail about what apps are most used, by most users, most of the time; and why that information effectively precludes an "app gap", in the sense of a dramatically inferior or unusable smartphone experience, for the average US smartphone user who chooses Windows Mobile.
As I proceed with this analysis, please note, I will be speaking from the perspective of the demographic reflected in this data: US smartphone users. It may, however, be reasonable to conclude that human behavior in other regions may yield a similar concentration of app usage on a small core assortment of apps.
Full story from the WindowsCentral blog...
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