Apple App Store downloads in China triple, but revenues for developers still lag

Downloads from China on Apple's App Store have tripled from a year ago, but developers in the country must continue to look overseas to generate revenues, because of the prevalence of free apps, according to an app market analytics firm.

"In order to be at the top, you cannot just be focused on the Chinese market. If you want to make money you have to be focused on the international market," said Bertrand Schmitt, CEO of App Annie in Beijing.
Schmitt made his comments on Thursday while speaking at the Mobile Game Summit Beijing, where he showed new data on China's Apple App Store market.

As of May, China had the second highest number of iOS app downloads in the world, right behind the U.S. But the country ranks eighth in total revenues generated from iOS downloads, putting it behind the number one ranked U.S., Japan and the U.K.