Apps aren't dead — they're thriving to the tune of $89 billion

In case there were still any doubts, we now have more proof than ever that the app business is as strong as it's ever been — $89 billion strong, to be precise. 

That's the finding of a new report from app analytics firm App Annie, which said that usage, downloads and revenue were all up significantly in 2016, compared with the previous year. 

That runs counter to reports that came earlier in 2016 that led some onlookers to suggest the app business was on the decline. We now know that's not the case.

Let's start with revenue. Developers worldwide raked in more than $35 billion in 2016 across the App Store and Google Play, App Annie reports. But, when you factor in revenue from advertising and third-party app stores, the total shoots up to more than $89 billion, according to the firm.  Read more...