100,000 Apple Apps and The Pretenders

Apple claim that it now has approved over 101,887 applications with some 93,118 being available today in its App Store. That’s some ten times more than its competitors and all since July 2008, less than 18 months! Is it like a banquet offering as much as you can eat at one price as sometimes a la carte offers quality over quantity? Apparently only some 20K are free and the average price is $2.55, or $3.25 if you exclude the free apps.

When we look at some of the app pretenders we see Nokia's Ovi Store, Windows Mobile Marketplace and Palm's App Catalog have less than a thousand between them and the likes of the BlackBerry App World has only some 3000. Welcome to the void!

The challenge comes potentially from Google's Android platform with some even predicting it will overtake Apple in the future. Manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and HTC are introducing a plethora of Android devices and Dell is using it for its entry into the mobile market. The versions of the system read like a US bakery; cupcake, donut éclair and demonstrate how quickly the platform is developing.

The challenge is for Android to attract the next wave of developers and the successful iPhone ones that want a second home.

But returning to the iPhone Amazon’s Mobile App, is now available as a free download in the UK some 10 months after its US launch.