iPad launch put Chorus users in the mood for games

Envio just released the latest set of numbers from its popular iPhone app Chorus, which helps users find new apps by seeing what their friends are downloading and what they recommend (iTunes link). The big change: In March (the month covered by the new data), four of the top five paid apps were games.

Now, that may seem unsurprising, since games have been dominating popular iPhone app lists for a while. But the Chorus list is a bit different, because it’s not measuring purchases from the app store, but rather app virality — which apps people are buying and downloading because they’ve heard about it from their friends. Among the “tens of thousands of user interactions and download attempts” within Chorus, games didn’t crack the top five paid titles at all last month.

The change might just be chance, or simply a reflection of the apps that were available. But in the report, Envio attributes the rise to an “iPad effect.” The iPad itself didn’t go on-sale until April 3, so I guess the argument is that the impending launch made users more inclined to hunt for games.

Here are the lists:

Top 10 paid apps for March 2010 based on buy attempts:

1. Assassin’s Creed 2: Multiplayer: $2.99
2. All-in-1 Gamebox: $0.99
3. Sniper Strike: $0.99
4. Angry Birds: $0.99
5. Secrets of Success: $0.99
6. Final Fantasy: $6.99
7. Flaboo!: $0.99
8. Rudolph’s Kick n Fly: $0.99
9. Nukeball: $0.99
10. Daily Fail: $0.99

Top 10 most recommended apps among Chorus community March 2010:

1. FastMall: Free
2. LoKast: Free
3. Skee-Ball: $0.99
4. 5-0 Overload: Free
5. Twit: Free
6. Evil Overlord: Free
7. Angry Birds: $0.99
8. Pic2shop: Free
9. Pocket God: $0.99
10. NBA Live by EA Sports: $6.99

Top 10 free apps for March 2010 based on download attempts:

1. oMoby
2. Vlingo
3. iPhone Life magazine
4. Dreamwalk
5. Moodagent
6. Trace
7. Dragon Dictation
8. Happy Hours
9. Waze
10. Poynt

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