The Apple App Store is about to hit 50 billion downloads. That is a whopping figure that should give you a sneak peek into how smartphones are being used today. Studies have shown that the average Indian smartphone user spends around 52 minutes using apps. It has to be said that a certain number of people do use iPhones and iPhone app jobs are set to grow.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some interesting stats that will tell you more about the growing demand for individuals who can create mobile apps:

• If you take the entire planet into consideration, India ranks third in the list of countries that have the fastest growing mobile app market. Thus, mobile app jobs are bound to grow here.

• A January 2012 report by TRAI stated that India had reached 659.99 million in active mobile connections. This just goes to show that the need for apps is growing faster than ever.

• In 2009, the mobile app market had a total value of $4 billion. That growth doesn’t look like stopping.

All these stats point in one direction. Mobile apps are becoming highly popular as more and more people are turning to high end smartphones. This could also be put down to the availability of reasonably priced smartphones that run the Android or Symbian 40 operating system.

Skills required

• If you want to get hands on with app development then you need to have a sound IT training background. A BTech and an MCA should be the starting point.

• In order to land mobile application jobs in India you should have a working knowledge of gateways and servers such as WAP, VXML, XML, WTA and others.

• Experience with browsers such as XHTML and stacks (TCP/IP, WAP 2.0) is also needed if you want to be a foremost app developer.

• Content developers, visualizers, writers and graphic designers are also needed in this growing field. You need to think out of the box if you want your apps to sell.

The popularity of Android apps

The Android OS is a welcome platform to develop apps on. This is mainly because there is a lot of flexibility for developers to make changes and create unique apps. However, there is another reason why Android app jobs have increased today. Mobile phones running this OS are available at very cheap prices and Indian smartphone buyers are always looking for a good bargain.

Companies like Samsung and Micromax have some decent smartphone models that won’t burn a big hole in your pocket.

It comes as no surprise that app developers are having it good in India. The exponential growth of smartphone users means that more and more apps are going to be required. Navigation apps are becoming quite popular as people use their mobile devices to find particular locations.