Arguably, smart phones lose a lot of smart without apps. In fact, the more than 150,000 apps available in the Apple App Store are one of the strongest selling points for iPhones, Pods and soon Pads alike. Fortunately for us, as Android phones increase in popularity, the Android Market grows proportionately, which in turn refuels the the popularity of Android handsets and so on. As I reported a little less a month ago, the Android Market hosted around 20,000 apps at the time.  Today, Mobile Crunch reported that according to an anonymous source at Google the market is on course to hit the 30,000 mark soon. Given the sales performance of Android Headsets such as the Droid, which is rumored to have outsold the iPhone in the initial 74 day benchmark period and the already documented rapid growth in available Android apps, the Android Market may be well on course to reach 100,000 apps by the end of 2010. Although that would still be a third less than what the Apple App Store boasts today, Android holds an Ace up its sleeve: Google’s expertise in creating add-based revenue. This and the fact that the Android Market is being rolled out in stages rather than worldwide all at once affords the Android Market an unrivaled ratio of 60% free/40% paid apps and with that a comparative advantage that Apple (and its 25% free/75% paid ratio) will have to struggle to compensate for as Android closes the numbers gap.
So folks what do you think? Can the Android Market reach the 100,000 apps mark while maintaining the 60/40 ratio, and will this be enough to dethrone Apple as the “there’s an App for that” king of the hill?
Source: MobileCrunch
