Web research firm comScore has released its first in-depth look at the most-installed iPhone applications -- providing some surprises and some guidance for application developers seeking direction and marketers seeking ways to better reach iPhone users.

While Apple regularly updates its lists of the most popular applications on the iPhone by category, over a million people in the U.S. provide comScore with aggregate data anonymously.

"We're able to see, with privacy in place, what applications are hanging around to get a truer picture of what's being used," Mark Donovan, senior vice president of mobile at comScore, told InternetNews.com. comScore also collects demographic information on those it surveys.

The results were a big win for Tapulous. The company's popular Tap, Tap Revenge game was installed by 32 percent of Apple App store users as of February, giving it the largest installed base on comScore's list.

"What you're seeing is that Apple has taken an enormous amount of friction out of getting a mobile application on the global market," Donovan said. "This allows companies like Tapulous, that had no connection to the carriers, to be successful in a short period of time."

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