Google to Claim "World's Biggest App Store" Title From Apple in Five Months
It was great while it lasted, but Apple’s dominance in the mobile app market is coming to an end. Though it remains by far the leader in sheer app-store tonnage today, Android’s surging growth will soon change that.
According to a new report from analytics outfit Distimo, if Google’s Android Market maintains its current rate of growth it will surpass Apple’s App Store to become the largest app store in number of applications. In fact, it’s already tops in the number of free apps it offers.
“The Apple App Store for iPhone is the largest store in terms of all applications available; however it was among the slowest growing stores in terms of relative growth in March,” Distimo observes in its report. “Regardless of its low relative growth, the Apple App Store for iPhone was still second only to Google in terms of absolute growth figures.”
But falling behind Google’s Android Market growth rate will ultimately cost Apple its “biggest app store” title. Distimo expects the Android Market to have about 40,000 fewer applications than the Apple App Store for iPhone by the end of June 2011, and predicts it will close the remaining gap before the end of July 2011. “If all application stores maintain their current growth pace, approximately five months from now Google Android Market will be the largest store in terms of number of applications, followed by the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad, Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, BlackBerry App World and Nokia Ovi Store,” the company projected.