Apple has had a long head start in mobile apps over new archrival Google.
But new data shows that the number of Android apps has grown 127 percent since August and offerings in Google&'s Android Market should outnumber the total for iPhone apps by mid-2012. Apple&'s App Store wares grew 44 percent in the same time.
The data comes from the App Genome Project, a research project undertaken by Lookout Mobile Security, a mobile app security company. Lookout is examining every single app on both the Android Market and the App Store' it doesn&'t count updates or apps you can no longer download.
Apple has 348,894 apps available now, compared to 243,037 in August. The Android market has 87,785 apps, compared to 38,729 in August.
Part of Google&'s success may lay in its developers&' prolificity. Android Market developers typically release more apps than Apple App Store developers, said Kevin Mahaffey, cofounder of Lookout, in an interview. On average, the Android Market has 6.2 apps per developer, while the App Store has 4.8.
Google&'s Android Market also has looser approval policies than Apple, which has drawn criticism for its strict review process.
Calling all developers: We want to write up your app for VentureBeata4‚¬a4„s Mobile App Spotlight! If you have an innovative mobile app that hasna4‚¬a4„t been featured on VentureBeat yet, submit it for consideration right away. The Mobile App Spotlight is sponsored by The Intel AppUp developer program.
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Companies: Apple, Google, Lookout Mobile Technology
People: Kevin MaHaffey
Companies: Apple, Google, Lookout Mobile Technology
People: Kevin MaHaffey
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
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