Apps: Facebook finishes 2012 ahead of Google Maps in U.S.

Until October, 2012, Google Maps was the leading mobile app in terms of usage. However, it was all change in mid-September when Apple dropped Google Maps as a default app.

Since then, Facebook's mobile app has taken the lead. In December 2012, Facebook had 85.5 million unique visitors compared with Google Maps' 74.6 million.

The release of Google Maps as a standalone app for Apple's iOS has seen usage start to climb once more.

Google won't be too dismayed at the performance of Google Maps, its products already take up half of the comScore top 10, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Search and Google Play.

Facebook also wins hands down when it comes to mobile engagement. While all of Google's apps, collectively, account for a 10% share of time spent in apps, a whopping 23% share was spent on Facebook.

"2013 will present an interesting dynamic as Google and Facebook wrestle for app supremacy, while other media properties look to carve out a niche or establish a more prominent position. Will Twitter, Amazon or eBay find their way into the top 10 apps this year? Will engagement on the Netflix app skyrocket as people become more comfortable viewing video on their phones? What will be the next Instagram to come out of nowhere to build an audience of tens of millions in a few short months?" asks comScore.

"If there is one thing we can all bet on, it's that the market will look very different a year from now. And may the best apps win."

Tags: mobile apps, mobile marketing, research, U.S.