Even if 2010 isn't the long-anticipated "year of mobile," have no fear -- the mythical tipping point will arrive before 2013. That's when the worldwide mobile application market will hit $15.65 billion, according to consulting firm research2guidance.
The mobile app market was only $1.94 billion in 2009, but smartphone usage will increase tenfold over the next three years, from 100 million users in 2009 to 1 billion by 2013, TechCrunch reports.
Mobile is still a relatively untapped marketing resource, and the market explosion will provide plenty of opportunity to brands and corporations. Only 10 percent of Fortune 200 companies currently target customers will mobile applications, according to research2guidance. Most of those companies use apps to reach existing customers or promote products, with just 9 percent of those companies selling stand alone applications, according to the report.