As always, App Annie's retrospective reports about the top trends in apps of any given year is always interesting and this year is no exception. Our report today covers a few of the key trends such as Apple's iOS App Store vs. Google Play, music trends and more. Understanding market trends of one kind or another can help us all understand how the market is shifting over time and sometimes in directions unexpected. While the trend of Android gaining ground on iOS isn't new, neither is the fact that Apple continues to rake in the industry's profits. Yesterday the tech industry watched in amazement as Apple's sales and profits were mind numbingly delivered. Will that trend continue? Only time will tell.

On the Topic of Downloads: Google Play Increased Its Lead Over iOS Worldwide But Apple Raked in the Profits

According to App Annie new report, Google Play built on its lead over the iOS App Store in 2014 by amassing nearly 60% more worldwide app downloads than iOS. While both stores experienced strong revenue growth in 2014 it was Apple's iOS that maintained their key advantage which is in monetization, generating over 70% more yearly app revenue than Google Play.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted yesterday during Apple's financial Conference that "App Store revenue was up a remarkable 41%."

App Annie's report also noted that China led BRIC in revenue growth, ending 2014 as the #3 country by iOS revenue behind only the United States and Japan. BRIC countries are now appealing for their monetization potential as well as their expansive audience after growing combined revenue by over 120% in 2014.

Top Country and Category Charts for the iOS App Store

In 2015, App Annie expects to see strong performances from Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam. Continued investment in telecommunication infrastructure in these emerging markets should set the stage for rapid growth in their mobile economies.

Apple's Tim Cook noted during yesterday's Financial Conference Call that while unit sales were up 44% in the U.S. they were up a healthy 97% in BRIC Countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Cook added that the momentum of the iPhone 6 in BRIC countries like Brazil and China remained very bullish and that their online Apple Store had now reached 350 cities in China. It should also be noted that Apple opened their first store in Brazil in 2014.

In addition, We reported in August that Apple intends to have four Apple Stores in Turkey by the close of 2015. Their initial Store, known as the "Glass Lantern" was awarded a design award in December.

As Apple's premium Stores enter a market, Apple's online stores begin to rapidly pick up steam in tandem. So Apple is once again proving to be keeping their eye on the right emerging markets over time.

Local Expertise Drove Music App Growth in 2014

Other Interesting  stats that App Annie covered related to music. App Annie notes that with the proliferation of music apps, localization proved key for big players in different markets.

They particularly note in their report that "While Spotify and Shazam were strong in North America and Western Europe, there was a clear demand for regional music services with local market knowledge and expertise. For instance, Tencent's QQ Music took the top spot in China with its focus on premium audio quality and its broad catalogue spanning Western and Eastern hits." 

We noted in a recent report that the audio quality issue was brought up recently by Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason.

It'll be most interesting to see what Apple is going to do to stir up the music market in 2015 with their Beats Music streaming service. It sounds like big changes are on the way. Whether Apple will address key foreign markets like China remains to be seen. But with China being the key to Apple's future growth, I'm sure that iTunes and their music streaming service will tackle this trend deeper going forward.

As always, App Annie's annual report on app trends is always a good read in helping us understand the trends that took place in previous years and what could be trending into the next.

There's a lot more to App Annie's report and you can download the full report here.

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