According to research by the comparison website, six percent of all mobile phone owners said the ability to download apps was more important than cost or the text and minute deals when purchasing a mobile phone.

Moneysupermarket.com said the average 'appster' has downloaded nine apps in the past 12 months and spent an average of £9 on them in total.

"The iPhone has led the way in the smartphone market since its launch and the advent of 'apps' has really added fuel to the fire. Apps are already extremely popular but it seems plenty more people will consider switching to a smartphone in order to be part of the latest mobile phenomenon," said James Parker, manager of mobiles at moneysupermarket.com.

"It was recently announced that has launched a to allow users to access their music streaming services. This move is a milestone in the mobile world and it will be interesting to see what other services we see pop up as apps in the next few months."