SOFTWARETRENDS

The software and apps we use are an essential part of our daily lives. We discover, share, and learn through them. It doesn’t matter if we are on a computer, smartphone or tablet, these programs allow us to stay in the loop with what really matters.

The 926,414,731 downloads generated from Softonic in the first semester of 2013 reflect how the demand for software and apps is at an all-time high and positions the company as a key player in the program distribution sector.

However, Softonic is much more than just downloads. Softonic is the world’s Multiplatform Software Guide and offers its users the latest news, articles, tutorials, videos, tips and tricks about their favorite programs available on the most popular devices in the market.

1a.SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS WORLDWIDE

Top downloaded programs

The most accurate indication of current software trends comes from the number of software downloads made by users. This data shows the most popular programs and apps on a global scale and according to the device from which they are downloaded (computer, smartphone, tablet etc.).

Top 3 most downloaded programs (WEB)

Top 3 most downloaded apps (MOBILE)

MyVideoConverter

Hamachi Slender: TheEight Pages

avast! uTorrent Ares

Photoscape Ares aTubeCatcher

Ccleaner VLC Minecraft

lol duowan FormatFactory

SamsungKies

aTubeCatcher

TubeMate FlashPlayer

BlackBerryMessenger

WhatsApp GooglePlay

TubeMate

Opera Mini Facebook Pou

TubeMate FlashPlayer

Google Earth

GooglePlay

lol duowan SamsungKies

b.Countries withthe most downloads

Softonic is available in more than ten languages including Italian, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, English and Spanish, as well as operating a basic version of the Softonic site in another 10 languages including Swedish, Korean and Turkish. Most users who visit Softonic use either the English or Spanish version of the site.

Softonic in English receives more than 82 million monthly visits and serves around 2 million daily downloads generated by users. The geographical split is also diverse since English is the third most spoken language in the world after Chinese and Spanish. With this in mind, the countries with the greatest number of downloads in English are the USA, India and Indonesia.

On the other hand, Softonic in Spanish receives more than 87 million monthly visits and over two million daily downloads generated by users from different parts of the world. This is due to the fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. The countries that download the most from Softonic in Spanish are Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

Cities withthe most downloads

The company has also analyzed the cities with the most active software download users in English. In the US, the results of the report reveal that New York, San Jose, Chicago and Los Angeles are, in that order, the cities where most downloads are made on the Softonic website in English. With regards to the cities with the most downloads via mobile, Boca Raton, New York, Houston and Los Angeles have the most users downloading software from the Softonic mobile site.

Countries withthe most downloads

Softonic is available in more than ten languages including Italian, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, English and Spanish, as well as operating a basic version of the Softonic site in another 10 languages including Swedish, Korean and Turkish. Most users who visit Softonic use either the English or Spanish version of the site.

Softonic in English receives more than 82 million monthly visits and serves around 2 million daily downloads generated by users. The geographical split is also diverse since English is the third most spoken language in the world after Chinese and Spanish. With this in mind, the countries with the greatest number of downloads in English are the USA, India and Indonesia.

On the other hand, Softonic in Spanish receives more than 87 million monthly visits and over two million daily downloads generated by users from different parts of the world. This is due to the fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. The countries that download the most from Softonic in Spanish are Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

Cities withthe most downloads

The company has also analyzed the cities with the most active software download users in English. In the US, the results of the report reveal that New York, San Jose, Chicago and Los Angeles are, in that order, the cities where most downloads are made on the Softonic website in English. With regards to the cities with the most downloads via mobile, Boca Raton, New York, Houston and Los Angeles have the most users downloading software from the Softonic mobile site.

1

Top 25 citieswith the most downloads (WEB)

Top 25 citieswith the most downloads (MOBILE)

NEW YORK

23

45

67

89

1011

1213

1415

1617

1819

2021

2223

2425

SAN JOSE

CHICAGO

LOS ANGELES

HOUSTON

WESTERVILLE

HIALEAH

DALLAS

SAN DIEGO

PHOENIX

PHILADELPHIA

AUSTIN

LAS VEGAS

DENVER

SAN FRANCISCO

SAN ANTONIO

SEATTLE

FORT WORTH

PORTLAND

WASHINGTON

ATLANTA

MIAMI

TORRANCE

BOSTON

COLUMBUS

1 BOCA RATON

23

45

67

89

1011

1213

1415

1617

1819

2021

2223

2425

NEW YORK

HOUSTON

LOS ANGELES

DALLAS

CHICAGO

ATLANTA

SAN FRANCISCO

PHOENIX

WASHINGTON

DENVER

CHARLOTTE

SEATTLE

PHILADELPHIA

SAN ANTONIO

BOSTON

TAMPA

MINNEAPOLIS

MIAMI

SAN JOSE

SAN DIEGO

INDIANAPOLIS

AUSTIN

ORLANDO

COLUMBUS

1,33

5,34

2

3,61

7,79

0

5,59

9,34

7

7,51

7,13

8

7,68

5,19

5

GAMES COMMUNICATION BROWSERAPPS

MP3 &MULTIMEDIA APPS

TOOLS &UTILITIES

GAMES VIDEOSOFTWARE

SOFTWAREUTILITIES

DESIGN &PHOTOGRAPHYSOFTWARE

COMMUNICATION8,

512,

222

8,58

5,53

8

10,1

95,9

29

14,8

15,7

19

23,3

78,0

61

c.Downloads by category in English

This quarter’s report also reveals the software categories most in demand for users of the English language site. The graphs show that games and video software occupy the top positions in the web download rankings, whereas games and communications apps are the top download categories for mobile.

Downloadsby category (WEB)

Downloadsby category (MOBILE)

d.Percentage of downloads per platform

By analyzing the platforms from which users generate downloads, it is possible to know which are the most popular devices for Softonic users. On a global level, a very high percentage of users access Softonic via the website from a Windows operating system, while Mobile access is mainly done from devices with Android, Java, Symbian and Blackberry operating systems.

Percentageof downloads (MOBILE)

Percentageof downloads (WEB)

JAVA

ANDROID

89,5% WINDOWS

2,8%

3,1%

MAC OS3,5%

1%

OTHERS

1.3%

1.1%

OTHERS

12.8% BLACKBERRY

18.6% SYMBIAN

27.7% JAVA

WINDOWS MOBILE

0.9% POCKET PC

31.4%ANDROID1.4% WINDOWS PHONE

4.7% iPHONE

8.4%

6%

1.7%

1.4%

WINDOWS PHONE

JAVA

iPHONE

17.9% BLACKBERRY

WINDOWS MOBILE

1.1% OTHERS

56.6%ANDROID1.9% POCKET PC

5% SYMBIAN

In the case of USA users, the Windows computer operating system continues to hold the top spot by a long way, while Android, Java and the iPhone systems are the top three platforms for mobile downloads.

1.9%

OTHERS

ANDROID

81.5% WINDOWS

MAC OS14.9%

0.2%

0.4% iPHONE

Percentageof downloads (MOBILE)

Percentageof downloads (WEB)

2QUARTERLY NEWS

Softonic is positioned in the market as a software guide that offers an overall view of current global trends regarding programs and apps. Sharing news and relevant information about software, as well as interaction with users in several different languages, allows Softonic to detect what are the newsworthy topics from the past quarter in the software market.

a.Mobile messaging: the battle rages on

Mobile messaging is riding a huge popularity wave. Apps such as Whatsapp, WeChat, Viber, Line and Skype (which increased its user base after the fusion with Windows Live Messenger) are among the most downloaded apps from Softonic during the past 3 months.

That said, Whatsapp is still the ruling champion. We see this reflected in the top downloads across all mobile platforms and the amount of buzz it creates with users who read articles and news on Softonic in Spanish.

However, new interesting players from Asia have joined the battlefield. WeChat, Line, Kakao and Nimbuzz are becoming very popular, especially with French users.

b.Move over Skype. Viber comes to desktop!

Viber, the app, which is very similar to Skype, allows you to call your friends and family free over the internet. In May, Windows and Mac desktop apps were finally released, and with its well-developed chat features (arguably better than Skype) it quickly became very popular with our readers in the US.

c.Android is more popular than ever in the US

Android’s market share increase in the mobile and tablet world was evident in Q2 by the popularity of Android related news and articles. The six-second video app Vine (originally for iPhone) made a big splash when it was released for Google's mobile operating system in June.

Our readers in the US are keen to find out about updates to their favorite Android apps like the messaging app WhatsApp, which got some Samsung specific improvements in April, and proved to be very popular.

d.Lots of RSVPs for the past quarter

Google I/O, WWDC, and Build 2013 packed the last 3 months with exciting launches and previews of what’s to come later on this year.

Google released a new version of Google Maps for Mac and iPhone. Microsoft took into consideration user feedback and brought back the start button to their new Windows 8.1, which also includes Internet Explorer 11 and an internal search engine. Apple took the stage to unveil a new version of their famous OS, as well as upgrades to some of their products.

The close follow-up of these events by users of Softonic in Spanish and German, made us realize that these articles have become interesting to a wider audience instead of just the regular “geekier” users.

e.Gamers rejoice!

We provided continuous coverage of the E3 conference, which was trending throughout the world and brought great news for gamers. New consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with games like Quantum and Titanfall, captured the attention of users of Softonic in Spanish, English and French.

In the US, a piece on Xbox exclusive games was extremely popular and the announcement of the introduction of horses to the new Minecraft 1.6.1 was really engaging among our users.

Meanwhile, users of Softonic in French loved the articles about the new games Remember Me (PC) and The Last of Us (PS3). Both titles are in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world where humanity has to survive. On the border between video game and movie, Remember Me and The Last of Us are especially impressive.

f.German Funeral for Google Reader

Google Reader says goodbye. As of the 1st July the beloved RSS reader for news is not available anymore. Google is seeing a decreasing interest in the use of the reader and has terminated the service. Competitors like Digg reader, AOL Reader or Feedly are trying to take advantage of this situation and fill in this market niche among users of Softonic in German.

g.Instagram is redefining the term paparazzi in Italy

Instagram’s popularity in Italy is growing fast. It has become the most downloaded app in the Photography category for Android. New features like video and the arrival of summer, have boosted the popularity of this app making it a must-have smartphone app for users who visit Softonic in Italian.

h.Benvenuto Spotify

Users of Softonic in Italian gave Spotify a warm welcome with a special guide we prepared to help them get the most out of the program. It was only launched in February and it’s already one of the most downloaded programs from the Music and Audio category.

Gamers rejoice!

We provided continuous coverage of the E3 conference, which was trending throughout the world and brought great news for gamers. New consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with games like Quantum and Titanfall, captured the attention of users of Softonic in Spanish, English and French.

In the US, a piece on Xbox exclusive games was extremely popular and the announcement of the introduction of horses to the new Minecraft 1.6.1 was really engaging among our users.

Meanwhile, users of Softonic in French loved the articles about the new games Remember Me (PC) and The Last of Us (PS3). Both titles are in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world where humanity has to survive. On the border between video game and movie, Remember Me and The Last of Us are especially impressive.

i.Galaxy S II software update

Although the Samsung Galaxy S4 was launched in April 2013, the news story concerning the update to the Galaxy S II operating system published in the same month resonated throughout the online community. Android 4.1, known as Jelly Bean, continues to be one of the most talked-about topics especially on the Brazilian Softonic site thanks to the successful sales of the handsets.

With more than 82 million monthly visits to the Softonic site in English, making it the second most visited Softonic site, the demand for software and apps downloads is at an all-time high. The report's results on software trends in the last quarter show that gaming apps and software are seeing growing demand as they are revealed to be the top downloaded category on both mobile and web platforms. Additional proof of this is seen in the popularity of the news pieces on Xbox exclusive games and Minecraft 1.6.1 which saw high levels of user engagement. However, the top downloaded software program by web users, MyVideoConverter, as well as the top downloaded mobile app, TubeMate YouTube Downloader, also highlight a growing trend for video software and apps.

With regards to mobile platforms, survey data show that the use of mobile devices to download software continues to grow rapidly. In fact, Android has continued to generate mobile application downloads and has emerged as the platform of choice across all markets, including among English-speaking users. Of the more than 2 million downloads a day from Softonic in English, Android users are by far the most active community (56.65%), followed by Blackberry (17.88%) and iPhone iOS (8.43%).

In addition to software download trends, users have responded enthusiastically to the latest sector news; the arrival of the Viber desktop app, the increasing popularity of mobile messaging apps, and the growing success of Android in the US have been some topics with which Softonic’s 128 million users have engaged most.

3CONCLUSIONS