Android Market Going Strong, Now Has 20,000 Apps

Posted 12/15/2009 at 1:34pm | by Bart Salisbury

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It’s all a numbers game. If the numbers look good, you look good. If they don’t, neither do you. Doesn’t matter if the numbers have meaning, just so long as they exist. Such is the world of perception. And in this world the “maturing” of the Android OS market is not only evidenced, but assured, by it now having 20,000 apps.

What’s the big deal with 20,000 apps? This number puts Android’s app market on par with the older Windows Mobile market (and ahead of Symbian and other mobile device operating systems). And Android’s third-party developers only took a fraction of the time to get there. That, by itself, proves the widespread acceptance of Android which, any day now, will surpass even the mighty iPhone’s 100,000 apps.

In a world where perception trumps reality, this figure, and the speed with which it was achieved, means something. At the very least it can found a self-fulfilling prophecy. Which, if you are Google or a seller of Android-based mobile devices, is a good thing. But whether it is grounds for the enthusiasm expressed by some, only time will tell.

Meanwhile, I’ll sit this one out in a corner with Josh Catone. In a recent blog post regarding the iPhone’s 100,000 apps he asks the question: “How many are good?” Same question could be asked of Android’s 20,000.

Image Credit: Google