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Books outnumber games on Apple's App Store
Digital books now outnumber games in Apple's App Store, making them the biggest category in the store for the first time ever, according to mobile analytics firm Mobclix. Figures from the company show that the number of books now stands at nearly 26,700, or 18.6% of the market, compared with 25,080 games. The gap looks set to rise as books make up one in five of the new apps being added to the store.
Publishers are currently flooding the market with books in anticipation of the launch of Apple's iPad, which is due to hit the shelves in the next few weeks. The device is expected to increase demand for digital books, which at the moment can only be downloaded via an iPhone or iPod Touch, neither of which is designed for reading. Publishers are also counting on consumers being willing to pay for this content, with less than 9% of the total number being distributed for free. This is the lowest proportion for any category in the App Store, and has brought the total proportion of paid apps up to 75%.
