Findings from ABI Research reveal that iOS app file sizes are increasing, growing up to 42 percent over six months from March 2012 to Sept. 2012. Higher-end hardware is outpacing developers.

Comparatively, Android apps grew 16 percent in file size. The reason for iOS apps file size increase is due to the new iPads' Retina display, increasing the resolution apps support. It means that the 16GB iPads, the base model for the tablets, are probably becoming less convenient.

"​The iPad 3's Retina display and Apple's more liberal submission policy have caused the file sizes of leading iOS apps to grow substantially, especially in games. The latest data from ABI Research shows that the global average app size across all categories was 23 megabytes in September, 16% more than in March," reported ABI Research.

This fact, alongside universal apps effectively bundling data for smartphone and tablet apps together, along with the over-the-air download limit increasing from 20MB to 50MB, caused the increase. Android apps runs across low-, mid-, and high-end hardware with arguably less consistency.

"The flipside of the increasing file-sizes is that the internal storage of smartphones and tablets is becoming a scarcer resource, as the device capabilities struggle to keep up with the requirements of apps and mobile content. Especially the consumers with 16GB devices are likely to become more conscious about what apps to keep and what to uninstall, so the developers' bar to impress will be getting even higher than it is now. This could also speed up the adoption of the mobile cloud as a storage remedy quite significantly," indicated the research firm.

The adoption of mobile cloud storage could hold true for smartphones, the form factor perhaps seeing the most use daily, as content from photos to music to apps is sure to take up storage quickly. Using cloud storage services iCloud or Google Drive may be a solution, though higher tiers of storage will cost users. Also, Google Drive is based around storing documents rather than multimedia content.

According to ABI's senior analyst Aapo Markkanen, the data confirms that "Apple's decision in March to increase the maximum size of 3G/4G-downloadable apps from 20MBs to 50MBs has clearly had an unleashing effect on developers. Their games can now be more complex and graphically polished, while still being able to benefit from the instant gratification of cellular downloads." Markkanen also noted that developers have received Google's decision to host files of up to 4GB on Google Play in a positive manner.

ABI Research did not provide a breakdown of the types of apps consuming the most space, though Entertainment apps on iOS, particularly video games, could be the biggest offender.