Google Android store reaches 25 billion downloads, 675,000 apps
Google announced on Wednesday that its Google Play store for Android has seen 25 billion downloads to date, and a total of 675,000 applications are now available.
The announcement, made on the company's official Android blog, comes a few weeks after Apple provided its own update on the success of the iOS App Store. At the iPhone 5 media event, Apple revealed that the App Store had more than 700,000 applications, with 250,000 of those written specifically for the iPad.
Apple also announced that 90 percent of the applications on the App Store are downloaded every month, and that the average user has more than 100 applications installed on their device. Google's post did not offer comparable statistics.
As for the total number of application downloads, Apple's App Store reached the 25 billion mark in early March, or nearly 7 months before Google gave its own update on Wednesday. Apple's App Store launched three months before Google Play, then known as the Android Market, in 2008.
To celebrate the milestone of 25 billion downloads, Google is offering discounts on content available on Google Play. Creations from developers including Electronic Arts, GameLoft, Rovio and more will be on sale for 25 cents, while the company will also be highlighting special prices on movies, books, albums and magazines.
While it's a relatively close battle between Apple and Google in terms of applications available and user downloads, estimates have shown that Apple's App Store dominates in terms of paid applications. One study released last year found that Apple's iOS platform took in about 90 percent of all dollars spent on applications for mobile devices.
The announcement, made on the company's official Android blog, comes a few weeks after Apple provided its own update on the success of the iOS App Store. At the iPhone 5 media event, Apple revealed that the App Store had more than 700,000 applications, with 250,000 of those written specifically for the iPad.
Apple also announced that 90 percent of the applications on the App Store are downloaded every month, and that the average user has more than 100 applications installed on their device. Google's post did not offer comparable statistics.
As for the total number of application downloads, Apple's App Store reached the 25 billion mark in early March, or nearly 7 months before Google gave its own update on Wednesday. Apple's App Store launched three months before Google Play, then known as the Android Market, in 2008.
To celebrate the milestone of 25 billion downloads, Google is offering discounts on content available on Google Play. Creations from developers including Electronic Arts, GameLoft, Rovio and more will be on sale for 25 cents, while the company will also be highlighting special prices on movies, books, albums and magazines.
While it's a relatively close battle between Apple and Google in terms of applications available and user downloads, estimates have shown that Apple's App Store dominates in terms of paid applications. One study released last year found that Apple's iOS platform took in about 90 percent of all dollars spent on applications for mobile devices.
Comments
Everyone knows Google's app numbers don't matter because:
1. None of the Android apps are good as the apps for iOS and. . .
2. There's no productivity apps on Android either, mostly rip-off privacy-stealing free games. And that's because. . .
3. No developers are making money with crappy, buggy, laggy and fragmented Android anyway since. . .
4. Android users are too cheap and/or stupid to pay for quality apps which helps explain why . . .
5. There's no apps for Android tablets, just buggy re-sized phone versions with poor resolution. That might be a good thing for those couple of dozen actual Android tablet users because. . .
6. Google's appstore is littered with spyware and malware, infecting users devices by the millions. Stands to reason since. . .
7. There's no security in Android unlike iOS and besides. . .
8. Google lies about the numbers.
Think that about covers it, avoiding the need to turn the article into another click-bait thread. You're welcome...
We always see these grand pronouncements coming from a company whose platform is propagated by handset makers that never put out actual, audited data. Not to mention that Google's revenue from mobile is still a rounding error. So we do have to wonder what all this amounts to -- other than some vague, undefined, long term potential -- for the company.
Bottom line: it's not worth much more than the paper it's written on.
But the media will breathlessly run with it......
Spot on. ;-)
It's only fair that you post this but let's be honest, when you write a Hello World app and post it to Play should that app hold the same weight as an apps that has gone through a curation process. I bet you won't find a single Hello World app that has ever been on the App Store and yet Google store has has tends of thousand at one time.
Then there is the non-linear fragmentation which does force legitimate developers to make multiple versions for no other reason that supporting multiple devices. The only time you see this on the App Store is from Lite and paid apps, of which I think Apple should have a trial period set up.
Bottom line: We have a company that claims more activation's in a day than the universe has existed in seconds, combined with an app store that requires no process to get posted it's a head scratcher that Play isn't hundreds of thousands of apps ahead of the App Store. The only reasonable answer is that people don't use Android phones as app phones as much as Google likes to pretend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Everyone knows Google's app numbers don't matter because:
1. None of the Android apps are good as the apps for iOS and. . .
2. There's no productivity apps on Android either, mostly rip-off privacy-stealing free games. And that's because. . .
3. No developers are making money with crappy, buggy, laggy and fragmented Android anyway since. . .
4. Android users are too cheap and/or stupid to pay for quality apps which helps explain why . . .
5. There's no apps for Android tablets, just buggy re-sized phone versions with poor resolution. That might be a good thing for those couple of dozen actual Android tablet users because. . .
6. Google's appstore is littered with spyware and malware, infecting users devices by the millions. Stands to reason since. . .
7. There's no security in Android unlike iOS and besides. . .
8. Google lies about the numbers.
Think that about covers it, avoiding the need to turn the article into another click-bait thread. You're welcome...
I agree with all of these points, i have a few android tablets, the play store is beyond fail from my perspective. if you had a nexus 7 & you wanted to do more then play some basic games or watch movies, i don't know what it would actually be good for :S
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
It's only fair that you post this but let's be honest, when you write a Hello World app and post it to Play should that app hold the same weight as an apps that has gone through a curation process. I bet you won't find a single Hello World app that has ever been on the App Store and yet Google store has has tends of thousand at one time.
Then there is the non-linear fragmentation which does force legitimate developers to make multiple versions for no other reason that supporting multiple devices. The only time you see this on the App Store is from Lite and paid apps, of which I think Apple should have a trial period set up.
Not only lite (Free) and paid, but often iphone (normal)/ ipad (hd) versions as well.
One thing Microsoft did right in their store, every app has a trial which is the same entry as the full version, just with 2 buttons, try or buy. Hope Apple goes that route as well. But hey, I'm already glad I don't get the login anymore for updates of my apps
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
The only time you see this on the App Store is from Lite and paid apps, of which I think Apple should have a trial period set up.
Your App Ethan, should you choose not to pay for it, will self destruct in 10 days. As always, should any of your devices fail to support the App, we will disavow any knowledge of your download.
I bought an Android device for testing purposes earlier this year - a Sony Xperia S. I can say that the vast majority of the iOS apps I use everyday were all available to me on the Play Store. One or two of them are a lot poorer than their iOS equivalents. Stitcher being the best example - it lacks a number of iOS features such as offline downloading, and crashes and overloads the CPU consistently. But overall I don't think there's a huge difference between the two app stores anymore.
The thing Android really lacks is good support from video content providers. Many TV companies are reluctant to make their apps available on Android because it lacks good DRM support. You'll see piss poor BBC iPlayer implementation on Android compared to the awesome iOS version, Sky Go is only available on a handful of handsets (and not mine) etc.
The biggest frustration for me about Android versus iOS is the horribly piss poor copy and paste implementation in Android. You probably underestimate what a fantastic job Apple did implementing their version of copy and paste until you've tried to use the Android version.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
It's only fair that you post this but let's be honest, when you write a Hello World app and post it to Play should that app hold the same weight as an apps that has gone through a curation process. I bet you won't find a single Hello World app that has ever been on the App Store and yet Google store has has tends of thousand at one time.
Then there is the non-linear fragmentation which does force legitimate developers to make multiple versions for no other reason that supporting multiple devices. The only time you see this on the App Store is from Lite and paid apps, of which I think Apple should have a trial period set up.
Bottom line: We have a company that claims more activation's in a day than the universe has existed in seconds, combined with an app store that requires no process to get posted it's a head scratcher that Play isn't hundreds of thousands of apps ahead of the App Store. The only reasonable answer is that people don't use Android phones as app phones as much as Google likes to pretend.
Such lies. Then there is the non-linear fragmentation which does force legitimate developers to make multiple versions for no other reason that supporting multiple devices.
The vast majority of android apps +95% work form android 2.1 to the current version no problem, and adjust for screen size, hardware. Android App compatibility is amazing.
Google play store has many many quality apps App store still has a the edge but android apps are catching up in both quality and customers who are willing to pay for them.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/android-gaining-ground-on-paid-apps/019285
Right and Apple never lied about all it's Fart Apps.
Speaking of lies, care to back up your claim that ? 95% of Android apps work on all devices that have 2.1 or higher installed regardless of any other HW or vendor change?
Really? Now you're claiming Apple has lied about fart apps? Refresh my memory because I don't remember Sphincter-gate hitting the tech news sites. If it was silent it surely was deadly.
Don't make asinine statements suggesting tablet apps are a fragmentation of smartphone apps.
They have had this *exploding* feature in their DRMed content since they first offered rented movies. I don't think it's beyond their ken to offer the same deal to buyers. Devs would simply put in a price and then from a small list of trial usage options. I'd certainly buy more apps, especially more expensive apps, if I could try them first. I bet TomTom would have gotten more buyers who could have tested their app out before buying (It's a great app!).
Can a pot call a kettle black?
If Google keeps treating everything and everyone like a number, they will never see that there are serious issues in their platform and continue to trumpet numbers and activations and specs which simply hide the more serious issues in the platform. Google, please address piracy. Please address fragmentation. Please address the quality of apps on the store. Please address adding much needed frameworks to your OS.
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Really? Now you're claiming Apple has lied about fart apps? Refresh my memory because I don't remember Sphincter-gate hitting the tech news sites. If it was silent it surely was deadly.
I have to laugh every time I read an iSheldon post these days. Or at the very least have a smile creep across my face.
He's slipping. He's losing it. Not much longer now.