iPad users download 3 billion apps

Technology market intelligence firm ABI Research provided some fascinating numbers today that show that Apple is still maintaining the lead in the tablet market despite the release of a plethora of Android tablets.

According to the ABI Research numbers, iPad users have downloaded three billion apps since the launch of the iPad in April of 2010. The iPad made it to this milestone in just a year and a half, while it took the iPhone two years to reach this point. Owners of Android tablets have only downloaded about 440 millions apps to date.

ABI Research associate Lim Shiyang notes that "Many Android tablets in the market are still using older versions of Android, which disadvantages users from enjoying the better effects of apps produced from more advanced software development kits." The ABI article notes that "Apple's iPad apps are generally considered to be of a better quality compared to Android tablet-specific apps."

Dan Shey, practice director of mobile services for ABI, noted that "Android is currently being used on many low end tablets that do not offer experiences anywhere near the iPad and this dampens the download momentum for users." Shey believes, however, that things will change as more tablet manufacturers move to Android 4.0 and device specs become closer to those of the iPad.

[via The Loop]