• Christmas 2012 saw record iOS and Android device activations, while industry reports show App Store downloads soared by 87 percent.
• Both the Apple App Store and Google Play saw healthy revenue gains in 2012, with more monetization and potential for global growth ahead in 2013.
• 2012 was (finally!) the year of mobile – from the launch of the iPhone 5 to Android device supremacy. But some say we’ll look back on 2013 as the year of the tablet.
• Will Apple unveil a new iPhone in 2013? This is just one of many predictions industry experts are making for the new year.

TheNextWeb reports that Christmas Day 2012 saw a record 17.4 million iOS and Android device activations – or 2.5x more than Christmas Day 2011 – according to Flurry. And new stats from Distimo indicate that daily downloads in the Apple App Store increased by 87 percent on Christmas Day, while revenues increased by 70 percent. This data “supports the common idea that developers should make a point to take advantage of the holiday season by updating and tweaking their apps in the weeks leading up to the 25th of December,” writes TheNextWeb’s Emil Protalinski. The 2012 holidays also marked a turning point in the history of mobile marketing, with more campaigns and shopping conducted on smartphones and tablets than in years past. If you’re interested in learning which holiday mobile marketing strategies worked well this year (and which ones didn’t), we invite you to join our free Mobile Marketer webinar on Jan. 24 – register here.

TechCrunch reports on the latest findings from ABI Research which show that mobile apps hit 43.6 billion downloads worldwide between September 2011 and September 2012, with Apple’s App Store leading the pack. In fact, all the app stores felt the boom of the mobile economy during 2012. Daily revenue in the Apple App Store grew 21 percent in 2012, while Google Play’s app revenue increased 43 percent, reported Steve Smith of MediaPost. Android’s operating system also realized remarkable gains in the latter half of 2012 with its improved user experience and scale of penetration. Device-wise, international growth also surged – the iPhone in Japan, China, and Russia; and Android devices in Korea, Japan, and France.

While pundits have been proclaiming "the year of mobile" for a few years, now, 2012 actually lived up to those expectations in several ways. But what will be shaking the industry in 2013? Greg Sterling of Marketing Land predicts that a year from now, we’ll look back on 2013 as “the year of the tablet.” According to a recent Nielsen survey, the gadget children and adults desired most this holiday season was the iPad, and many unwrapped Apple’s tablet Christmas morning. In fact, of the 17.4 million devices activated Dec. 25, 51 percent were tablets.

And what will make headlines in 2013? Will it be a new iPhone from Apple? A new flavor version from Android? Will Motorola make its first official flagship device for Google? Dan Rowinski of ReadWrite makes some bold predictions on what’s to come for mobile in 2013, especially after a year of tremendous industry growth.

Following months of rumors, a date has reportedly been set for the launch of the iPhone 5. In other welcome news, two industry reports chart the significant growth of mobile ad spending and app revenues. Meanwhile, Android developers received word of important policy changes for the Google Play app store.

Apple will announce its iPhone 5 Wednesday, Sept. 12, with the device hitting stores Friday, Sept. 21, according to new reports. According to a Mashable piece, the launch will be made via a special announcement and will also include a new iPod Nano and possibly the iPad Mini. As CNET reports, Apple expects to produce 20 million iPhone 5 units in the September quarter alone. And J.P. Morgan predicts Apple meeting – or exceeding – the current sales estimates of 39.5 million for Q4 2012 and 37.8 million for Q1 2013.

According to a new report from eMarketer, global mobile ad spending is projected to hit $6.4 billion in 2012. Driven by strong growth in the U.S., mobile ad spending will increase about 62 percent this year, putting the U.S. market ahead of Japan for the first time. The research estimates the U.S. mobile ad industry will balloon 96.6 percent to $2.3 billion in 2012. Mashable shares a chart that depicts mobile ad spending worldwide (by region and country) from 2011-2016.  

Revenues generated by iOS and Android apps are forecast for healthy growth, says Mobile Marketer. New data from Flurry Analytics projects app revenues to grow 60 percent to $8.7 billion, with advertising as the fastest growing revenue category. According to Flurry’s data, iOS and Android apps tallied a total of $5.4 billion in 2011 from premium sales, in-app purchases and advertising sales. Interestingly, in 2010, the top 25 ranked titles on iOS and Android generated 28 percent of revenue from premium sales and in-app purchases, but this year, they are expected produce only 15 percent of revenue. “What’s most surprising is that that mid and long tails are getting fatter not skinnier,” said Peter Farago, vice president of marketing at Flurry Analytics. “More apps are making more money.”

This week, Google Play delivered a letter to its tens of thousands of Android developers, informing them that it is making numerous changes to tighten its policies. Changes included naming apps, app icons, payments, privacy, spam and advertising. “All in all, this is a pretty strong list of ways that Google can now use to better control what kind of apps appear in the store, and perhaps attempt to raise the quality in the process,” writes Ingrid Lunden in her TechCrunch piece. Developers of new apps will be required to meet the new policy changes immediately, while apps that violate the new rules will have 30 days to comply or risk app store ejection. You can read Google Play’s full letter here.

New industry research indicates that Apple's iOS devices generate the most traffic for ads, while another study this week reveals the burgeoning growth of the mobile search and discovery market. And while we don’t know when it will arrive or what it will look like, an industry commentator predicts that an iPad Mini has the potential to “crush” Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.

According to an Opera Software report released this week, Apple’s devices are the most user-friendly and, in turn, generate the most traffic for mobile advertisers (46.5 percent).They also own a 61.4 percent share of mobile advertising revenue. “In addition to a solid user base, Apple has users who tend to spend more time on engaging advertisements usually featured on iOS,” writes CNET’s Donna Tam.

In other industry research news, IntoMobile is reporting on the latest Juniper Research study, which indicates that the mobile search and discovery market will grow to $15 billion by 2017, a threefold growth over what it is expected this year. According to the report, the vast number of apps crowding the app stores today is driving adoption of discovery services. Additionally, Google’s “domination” of the mobile Web search space has prompted other players to seek new ways to differentiate their products in a largely commoditized market. Full report findings can be found here.

Though Google’s Nexus 7 tablet has proved popular during its first few weeks of availability, Forbes’ Brian Caulfield predicts that Apple will soon respond by launching an iPad Mini which will “almost certainly crush Google’s Nexus 7.” He argues that Apple has three strong advantages over Google – more content, more apps and a better distribution network. 

And as the world gears up for the summer Olympic Games opening on July 27, ZDNET has compiled a list of free iPhone and iPad apps to help visitors make the most of their time in London. From the “Official Results” app that delivers up-to-the-minute details on Olympic medalists to a “Tube Map” app that helps tourists navigate the city’s public transportation, when it comes to the 2012 Olympics, there’s an app for that. 

As we’ve discussed in depth on our blog over the past several months, Apple’s planned phase-out of the UDID has resulted in significant confusion across the app marketing community. During this time of uncertainty, some marketers are looking more closely at Google Play to fuel their continued growth in mobile. And while we’d never suggest that the iOS market be ignored, Android’s Google Play offers a very compelling opportunity that can benefit your business in exceptional new ways. However, some of these ways are very different than what you may be accustomed to with your iOS marketing program.

For marketers interested in exploring the opportunity Google Play represents, or for those who believe their current Android ad campaigns could perform better, we’ve developed a new eBook on what you need to know to improve Android app discovery, drive more installs and generate long-term, loyal usage.  

In the new eBook, you’ll discover four “must-know” differences between Google Play and Apple’s App Store, including:

1. Deeper Marketing Attribution and Optimization

Google Play offers a marketing attribution framework that gives you insights that help you make more informed advertising decisions. A piece of tracking code called an “Android Referrer” anonymously “attributes” each of your app installs back to the ad network and ad creative from which that install originated. This marketing attribution gives you valuable intelligence, while effectively balancing the need for user privacy. But, what good is insight if you can't act on that insight? Download the eBook to find out how you can use this data to optimize your media campaign spend.

2. Organic Discovery that is “Search” Driven

We all know how important organic discovery is. Organic users seek your app on their own—without paid advertising. These users are not only “free,” but are much more likely to become loyal users than those who install your app after viewing an ad. The good news for Android app marketers is that you have more tools to drive organic users on Google Play than you do in Apple’s App Store. Google Play provides a robust search capability, making it easier for users to search for apps of interest no matter what the rank. In fact, approximately 75 percent of organic downloads on Google Play originate from a user search.

3. More Cost-Effective Advertising

Like iOS, the Android ecosystem has dozens of third-party ad networks that perform well in driving user acquisition. But overall, there is a greater supply of ad inventory for Android compared to iOS. A recent analysis of available advertising inventory shows that Android is able to deliver 12 percent more ad inventory than iOS. This extra inventory has driven down Android user acquisition costs substantially.

4. Immediate App Approval Process

The app market moves fast and is constantly changing, and marketers with the ability to adapt quickly can gain a significant competitive edge. Google Play provides a perfect environment for apps that need to adapt quickly to changing market dynamics. Developers can react to feedback quickly and have an app update available on Google Play literally in a few hours. In contrast, updating an app can take weeks with iOS due to the App Store’s submission and approval process.

Check back next week for six tips gleaned from experienced Google Play marketers. Or download the free eBook, Android App Marketing and Google Play - What You Need to Know, today.