Android Market could surpass App Store in size this year, research suggests

Having just switched to an Android phone from an iPhone I can say with confidence that the Android Market place has NOTHING on the iTunes App Store. There is a greater variety of apps available for iOS, they are better in quality and they're easier to find. You'd think Google of all companies could put a proper search together for their Marketplace.

On top of that, I'm not sure what the actual percentage is yet but it seems that a fair number of the "cooler" apps available on the Android Market actually require your phone to be rooted.That's almost equivalent to merging the Cydia store with the iTunes App Store.

As an Android user since '08, the Android Market's app selection sucks copious amounts of arse, so it really doesnt matter. Its almost sad.

just a mater of time apple in quality and quantity ! TiK ToK,TIK TOK

Android development has two things going for it...

1) The developer fee is $25.00 for lifetime access compared to Apples $99/year fee.

2) Submitting Apps isn't restricted to Macintosh computers whereas you need a Mac to submit apps to the iOS store.

I work for a company that sells a suite of Mobile Apps for $200 to our existing customers. These are precompiled customized Apps. The restrictions on submitting to the iOS store is forcing a lot of customers to simply submit to the Android store only. Heck, I need to buy something like a Mac Mini myself to submit my own apps to the iOS store.

Actually this is all a bunch of crap. The current rates of increase reflect a marketplace that is being flooded by developers that already make iOS apps. This means that they have a relatively short development cycle to come to market (ie most of the work was already done on the iOS apps) and it creates the ILLUSION of a marketplace that is developing at a much higher rate that the iOS marketplace. However, as the Android marketplace gets closer to the actual number of apps available in the iOS marketplace, you will see a significant decrease in the rate that new apps are added. This is natural. In an empty bucket, a quart of water looks like a lot, but in a pool it's nothing. This will be what happens here as well. The research companies are just looking to get their names out there and how do you do that? Take a swing at the current industry leader. Sadly, it is a common theme in today's "news"...

It's only a matter of time when Google and their partners start using "WE HAVE MORE APPS" as a selling tool and Apple's response will be to continue to push the idea that more doesn't equate to better. And they're right on every front.

Like a game of UNO, less is better. And Apple will win this argument because they'll focus more on how the apps that they do have are actually being used in environments that make an impact on the (and I'm borrowing this line from Tron Legacy) human condition resulting in changing people's lives.

And there's always the iTunes argument. No other platform has such a seamless eco-system that gives you a central location for apps, music, podcasts, movies and TV shows.

The market has grown and at the same time Apple has grown up. They're not interested in talking about speeds and feeds, but rather what makes their products so much more "magical" and different from anything the competition is doing. Meanwhile the competition thinks the way to our hearts is by showing snowmen turn into robots, lightning bolts shooting out of phones and tablets that transport us to an alien world complete with escape pod.

Well they may have more apps but they don't measure up to IOS apps even today. For example Android's version of Words with Friends isn't as good the IOS version so if that is what they have to offer much more INFERIOR apps they LOSE! Quality trumps QUANTITY!

Android has a place in the industry! They should continue doing what they do WITHOUT trying to outdo the IOS platform which is NEVER going to happen! Making an open platform is great but not when anyone and everyone is submitting crap causing devices to fail. The IOS platform is more than making a lot of apps! It is more about how those apps work together on your device, how classy they are and how wonderful they are!

Android is for those that hate IOS and Apple, they don't care about beauty, class or functional devices. I have yet to see a sleek, beautiful Android phone!

I'm not really a MAC or Apple fangirl either! I don't even own a MAC! I do have an iPod Touch, iPhone and a iPad! I purchased them because I wanted them and I'm very happy with my choice in the IOS platform, Android is too low budget looking and I have yet to see what their OPEN PLATFORM has done for the Android platform.

Also, I have yet to hate my IOS devices because I don't have flash either!

So, for me...IOS rules and will continue to rule if and when Android surpasses the apps store in apps available.

Good luck Android!

App Store 450,000 Apps 350,000 Useable apps
Android Market 450,000 Apps 10,000 Useable apps.

Time to re-evaluate.

Great... more Android apps full of ads... because Android users don't like to purchase apps!

Oh man, it seems like it was only yesterday when people were crowing about how many more apps the App Store had than Android Marketplace and how the Android ecosystem was inferior as a result. I guess it's time to update the talking points now that Marketplace could plausibly have as many if not more apps than the App Store, eh?