Android Market Going Strong

Google's mobile app store, the Android Market, has grown significantly since its inception. According to unofficial numbers from specialist portal AndroLib, the Android Market now has over 18,000 apps. Perhaps just as interesting is the fact that 61% of the apps are free.

While initial reports from AndroLib suggested that Google had surpassed the 20,000 app milestone, a company spokesperson later set the record straight and deflated the numbers. According to the spokesperson, "there are currently more than 16,000 free and paid apps in Android Market."



Even though the Android Market has enjoyed respectable growth, it's still far behind Apple's App Store, which currently has over 100,000 applications available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In all fairness, the Android Market is a few months younger than the App Store, but both stores are slightly over one year old.

A portion of the growth of the Android Market seems to coincide with phone releases. Over the past year, AndroLib has tracked the rate at which applications were added to the Market. According to AndroLib's statistics, the peak activity came in November and corresponded with the launch of the Motorola DROID. Considering an increasing number of Android devices are expected in 2010, there's a strong likelihood the growth of the Android Market will continue at a respectable pace.