Android Market matures with 16 000 apps

The Android Market has stepped up to become the second biggest online app store in terms of the number of apps it carries.  With just over 16 000 apps available for download, Android is proving more and more attractive to developers.

Google's mobile operating system is progressing well.  In 2010, the main mobile manufacturers are set to continue to support this free OS with more and more handsets running on it.  You can also add the fact that Google is looking increasingly likely to release its own hardware, like Apple did, and it's easy to see why Android is becoming an increasingly important platform for mobile app developers.  According to analysts Gartner, Google Phone sales will overtake iPhone sales by 2010; given the number set to become available, it's not a very surprising figure.

One year on and 16 000 apps?  Or 20 000?

While some sites like AndroLib claim that there are up 20 000 apps waiting to be downloaded, others, including Google, set the figure closer to 16 000.  As a comparison, Apple's AppStore has over 100 000 apps, but unlike Android, where 64% of all apps are free, the vast majority of iTunes downloads are paid for.

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