Google's Android Marketplace clocks up 800 available apps and games
Another 14,200 and Apple will be in trouble
In its recent fourth quarter earnings call, Google was proud to announce that the Android Marketplace can now boast around 800 applications. And the company also mentioned, in passing, that net revenue is up to US$4.22 billion. (Meh).
The obvious action here is to compare this number to the iPhone’s App Store, which is more in the region of 15,000 available games and utilities.
As drastic as the difference is, it’s worth remembering that the iPhone’s proven to be something of a phenomenon, and Android is still performing well in its own right - in early December, the Marketplace was replete with less than 500 applications, so there’s been a clear jump in interest since the New Year.
And this is a trend that’s likely to continue as more and more Android powered handsets are announced every week (not to mention the clever clogs who are getting the system running on their micro-laptops, which could have a significant impact if the practice takes off).
But there’s danger looming from other quarters, too. Most notably, Palm is gearing up to enter the fray with CES hot product, the Palm Pre, and its built-in applications store.
BlackBerry threatens a similar option, as does Microsoft, so Android still needs to pick up the pace if it wants to get a firm grip on second place in the digital distribution race.