In the smartphone world there are a myriad number of indicators that tell us which mobile provider or manufacturer is superior. We can look at the data for phones shipped, devices sold, market share, earnings, and profits. We can compare size, revenues, and cultural power in our bid to find the most successful company in the industry.
Recently, a new indicator of success has emerged: applications. All smartphone, regardless of the manufacturer and operating system, come with access to a unique library of apps. These apps can not only demonstrate the strength of a product, but they can also forecast future changes and growth by telling us where the money is being sent. If large companies are having apps developed more for one operating system over another, or if most enterprising software engineers are focusing their efforts likewise, then this says some about relative product strengths.
Recently, the app battle has been playing out between the two dominant players in the market: Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone. The numbers suggest that, even though the Android has surpassed the iPhone when it comes to market share, Apple’s product still reigns supreme, at least as far as the app indicator goes. Since the launch of Apple’s App store, the iPhone has had app sales and download numbers that far surpass Android. Even though Apple is more discerning when accepting apps to its store, it wins by tremendous margins in every key category – average price, total number of apps downloaded, and total revenue from apps sold.
Coming in at third in the application battle is the Windows Phone, which has seen its sale, creation, and downloads of apps skyrocket in recent months. Microsoft estimates that the Windows Phone Marketplace will surpass 50,000 apps by January after hitting 40,000 only this month.
The growth stands as a testament to the current successes – and future potential – of the Windows Phone operating system. It has surpassed RIM’s BlackBerry OS, it has entered into a partnership with Nokia after the latter abandoned its Symbian operating system, and it recently unveiled the “Mango” update that has been well-received by critics.
But, despite all these successes, the growth in its app marketplace truly reflects the Windows Phone’s arrival as a major and lasting player in the industry. The growing number of apps means, after all, that developers are increasingly being drawn to the system – and that they believe it has a long term future. Furthermore, of course, the marketplace wouldn’t be gaining apps this quickly if the device wasn’t enjoying strong sales.
Evaluating mobile companies based on the number of apps they offer can surely overlook many other important indicators. Regardless, when it comes to the Windows Phone, it’s hard to interpret the growth in apps as anything besides a positive and noteworthy trend.