“The first ten million years were the worst. And the second ten million. They were the worst too. The third ten million I didn’t enjoy at all. After that I went into a bit of a decline.” – Marvin the Paranoid Android, Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe.
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Android is seeing a veritable app explosion, according to recent statistics, with many seeing Google as a growing threat to Apple in both the handset and tablet markets.
According to AndroidLib.com, Google’s Android Marketplace saw a record number of 9,331 new applications added in March, up from the 5,532 apps added in February and the 4,458 added in January of this year.
This brings the current number of Android apps to 27,243, which while still a long way off from Apple’s 160,000 + applications, is a perfectly respectable and fast-growing number, which could give the fruit-themed gadget-maker a good run for its money in the relatively near future.
After all, the Android Marketplace was only launched in October 2008, with a paltry 167 available apps, so no one can fault Google for its impressive drive and momentum.
Just as well, because the apps are essential content for the plethora of new Android device types Google is hoping will flood the market over the next couple of years – and as most manufacturers and network providers are discovering, content is king.
Tablets are just the beginning, and while Apple is predicted to gain significant share of the new tablet market with its much-hyped iPad, with millions of units projected to ship in 2010, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is not the only firm churning out tablet offerings this year.
Google certainly doesn’t plan to miss out on the tablet-fest, with many manufacturers noting their offerings will be based on the firm’s Android operating system.
IMS Research even predicts the number of tablets based on Android to ship in 2010 could account for as much as 24% of the total, a significant slice of the ultra-mobile computing pie.
IMS researcher and principal analyst Anna Hunt notes that “the user interface and content that a tablet supplier brings to the table will likely influence purchase decisions just as much as hardware requirements.”
Indeed, she continues: “Suppliers are realizing the importance of content and service and many are turning to the Android ecosystem to be able to offer the complete user experience and compete with Apple’s offering.”
Then of course, there is the question of paid vs. free applications and the relative costs to consumers over time.
“Right now many of the applications specifically designed for the iPad platform, which are starting to hit the iTunes App Store, are actually more expensive than apps for the iPhone OS platform,” says Hunt.
“This leaves an opportunity for suppliers that can offer a tablet solution that is overall more price competitive, both for the hardware and the content.”
