By way of TechCrunch, security services company Lookout has released the results of a study about the App Store compared to the Android Market (in the U.S.). While the Android store is growing much faster than the App Store -- 127% since August 2010 to Apple's 44% -- Apple still has an upper-hand in the number of apps that will take a year for Android to match, assuming current growth-rates continue.
Does this sound grim? Only if Apple is unwilling to ever stop bragging about the number of apps available for iOS, something that doesn't seem too likely. After all, when Apple was in this boat before, it happily said that while Windows has more apps, Apple has better apps.
Lookout's report highlights that while Android may be growing faster, it is still lagging in terms of the number of developers building for the platform. This is hardly a revelation, as it's only been within the last year or so that Android has gained a large enough marketshare to make developing for it worthwhile, but it's definitely worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning is that iOS developers tend to release fewer apps than Android developers do. This could be written off as an artifact of the openness of the Android market, but you could also imagine that it's because more iOS developers have a specific app they want to put on their iPhones/iPads, while Android developers will crank out any old thing that comes to mind.
Read Lookout's full report for all sorts of statistical goodies, including an in-depth comparison of free/paid apps in both Android Market and the App Store!
Via TechCrunch
stevengu
February 16, 2011 at 3:39pm
I once checked out the Android Market, and from what I see, it is nothing compared to the App Store. The App Store may not be growing as fast as the Android Market, but it certainly does have better apps. And as an Apple user, I prefer quality over quantity.
