Bloomberg reports that Google Play (the app store for devices like the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3) now has more than 700,000 apps available for Android devices. This means that in terms of volume Android’s online store is catching up to the Apple App Store. In the iPad mini event that kicked off earlier in October, Tim Cook, Apple CEO, announced that the number of iOS apps has now reached the 700,000 mark.
Neither the search giant nor the Cupertino firm has revealed exact figures, so it’s hard to say who’s winning the app volume race. When quality comes to mind, this is another story. Apple is extremely strict when it comes to its app approval process. Google, however, has been known to slack around allowing malware to plague its online store.
In the not so distant past, app developers preferred creating iOS apps, since there are less iOS-powered devices to create apps for. Furthermore, Apple has spent billions in payouts to developers, which Cook revealed at the iPad mini launching. This wasn’t the case for Android apps due to the fragmentation.
Since Google had a tendency to slack around when it comes to its approval process, the result in a number of duplicate apps and malware, but it looks like this has changed with the Bouncer guarding Google Play against malicious apps. So although Android has a reputation for having lackluster apps, it seems this has changed. If things have changed in Google’s online store, then it’s possible developers are starting to flock to Android, based on Google Play reaching the 700,000 mark.
To be honest, Google Play reaching the 700,000 app mark doesn’t really reveal much. We’ll keep you updated once Google reveals more details.
Do you believe things are looking up for Google Play? Share your opinion through a comment below.
