Asian consumers go app crazy in Apple's App Store

(Distimo)

Consumers living in Asia are downloading apps with a newfound ferocity on their iPhones.

According to new figures from app store analyst Distimo, China is now the second largest iPhone App market in terms of total download volume behind the US.

Application downloads in the iPhone App Store in countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam have grown significantly over the past six months ending in May 2011 while many other Western countries have seen a decrease in download volume during the same time frame.

South Korean iPhone users are hitting the download button in droves. The volume of downloads in South Korea has now surpassed that of countries like Germany and France.

"Compared to Japan and China which both have larger populations, the high download volume in South Korea stands out even more," said Distimo in its app store report.

Even more interesting is the fact that South Korea's App Store does not have a games category; "in other countries the Games category is without exception, the largest," noted Distimo.

"This means that not only are all of the applications downloads already higher than expected in South Korea, but that all of the downloads can be attributed to non-Games categories."

While the application download frenzy is definitely set on high in Asia, consumers are less eager to pay for apps than their American and European counterparts.

"Customers in these markets appear to be more price-sensitive, and prefer to download the free equivalent of an app rather than pay a few dollars for a premium ad-free version," revealed Distimo.