Apple recently announced that it’s reached over 40 billion downloads from it’s AppStore, showing that the app market is still going strong.

Those figures are for “unique downloads”, so don’t include updates or re-downloads of apps. Apple said that around 20 billion of those downloads came from 2012 alone, with over 2 billion in December 2012 alone. Along with the data from Flurry, that suggests 17.4 million new iOS and Android devices were activated over the recent holiday period, it shows there’s a growing potential for the mobile market in 2013.

Of course, as the market grows, app consumers are becoming more discerning, and are looking for apps that are informative, enjoyable and engaging, so vanity apps just won’t cut it anymore. What this means though, is that over the next year, we’ll be seeing a growing number of immersive experiences, location-aware apps, and more and more organisations releasing apps that promote their brand in new ways.

Over the past year, we’ve worked with a growing number of arts organisations that are looking for ways into the app marketplace like the Arts Council and Situations. We’ve also worked with established players like The National Trust, who were looking to engage a more diverse audience through their Soho Stories app.

So, if you’re thinking about an app for your organisation, 2013 could be the year to do it.