A short History of mobile apps

Dec. 14, 2012 - PRLog -- Google recently announcement that put its Nexus line of handheld devices directly in the crosshairs of Apple.  Google also hit a milestone that puts it squarely on par with Apple : the Google Play Store now offers 700,000 mobile apps for the Android OS. Nearly the same amount as Apple's App Store.

Google (and Microsoft) has been notably behind Apple in the mobile app race, with Apple sprinting ahead.  Google announced that it had reached 25 billion downloads and that the Play store was home to 675,000 apps. When Apple unveiled the new iPad Mini, it boasted that its App Store had 700,000 apps.

That gap, it seems, has now closed. At least in the number of available downloads. Apple still reigns supreme with over 35 billion downloads of those apps. But with a new Nexus smartphone and an all-new 10-inch Nexus tablet, as well as all the mind-blowing Samsung Galaxy Nexus S III sales from the past two quarters, those numbers could reach and even best Apple in the near future.

In the past year we have seen major companies moving in to apps with companies like Amazon and Ebay getting more sales through mobile apps and even Microsoft getting in to the hardware business to take advantage of the app world.

We are seeing more smart devices with smart TV now getting better and cheaper meaning that more people will be downloading apps to use. So over the next few years you will need to ensure that your company is ready for the next big technology revolution.  

How apps have grown over the last few years.

Sept. 2012 - 700,000 (250,00 native to iPad)
June 2012 - 650,000 (225,000 native to iPad)
April 2012 - 600,000 (200,000 native to iPad
Oct. 2011 - 500,000 (140,000 native to iPad)
July 2011 - 100,000 native to iPad
June 2011 - 425,000 (90,000 native to iPad)
March 2011 - 350,000 (65,000 native to iPad)
Nov. 2010 - 400,000 (40,000 native to iPad)
Sept. 2010 - 250,000 (25,000 native to iPad)
June 2010 - 225,000 (8,500 native to iPad)
May 2010 - 200,000 (5,000 native to iPad)
April 2010 - 185,000
Jan. 2010 - 140,000
Nov. 2009 - 100,000
Sept. 2009 - 85,000
July 2009 - 65,000
June 2009 - 50,000
April 2009 - 35,000
March 2009 - 25,000
Sept. 2008 - 3,000
July 2008 – 800