The number of Android apps being downloaded has surpassed one billion, according to estimates from Android app aggregator site AndroLib, and is growing at an explosive rate.
The stats at AndroLib also show the rate of growth in the number of apps in the Android market. In July last year there were 1669 new Android apps added to the Android Market, compared to June this year, which saw over 15,000 new apps added.
Android is also continuing to mark itself out as the cheaper end of the marketplace, with 61.3 per cent of Android apps available for free. Apple on the other hand, has owned the market so far, and looks to be operating in a premium zone, where only 28 per cent of apps are free.
For Android app downloads to hit the one billion mark indicates rapid growth, but there’s still a long way to go until Android catch up with Apple, who hit the one billion mark in April last year.
What does this mean for Android? Can it catch up with Apple and carve out a chunk of the market, or is this just too late for another major player to make a chink in Apple’s share?
