The Battle between Android and iOS (Google Play Store vs. Apple App Store)
Two giants, Google Play Store and Apple App Store, are locked in a fierce battle of supremacy in which only one of them can emerge the winner. The two are not only competing for revenue, but also to win over the hearts and trust of consumers, developers, and digital marketers who use mobile applications to run mobile advertising campaigns.
Google Play Store is jam packed with mobile apps that are compatible with phones that run on the Android operating system while Apple App Store offers applications that are specifically tailored for iOS operating devices such as iPhones and iPads. Apart from mobile apps, the two platforms also provide books, films, music, and TV series. Which platform is the best? The two primary statistics that are used to compare the two are; the total number of downloads and the available apps.
Here is an in-depth analysis posted on Android Authority of the two store app stores to help you answer this question.
Apple App Store Statistics
Apple launched its app store in 2008 immediately after the launch of iPhone 3G with only 500 apps. However, within three months the store recorded more than 100 million downloads and the number of apps listed on the platform increased to 3000. Since then the number of apps downloaded from the platform has been growing steadily. The company achieved the 1 million app milestone towards the end of 2013. Currently, there are approximately 1.4 million iOS apps available for download.
Google Play Store Statistics
Google ventured into the Android market in 2008 with only a couple of apps for its target audience. By 2009, the platform had more than 2300 apps, and by the end of 2010, there were approximately 80,000 apps on the platform. By this time, the total number of downloads recorded had already surpassed the 1 billion mark. The figures consistently increased as more applications were developed and the operating system gained traction in the current fast-paced digital world. By 2012, the total number of apps available on Google Play Store had exceeded 500,000, and the total number of downloads surpassed 25 billion.
According to another report posted on Wall Street Journal in 2015, Google Play Store recorded 70% more app downloads than Apple App Store. However, the revenue accrued from the Apple Apps was higher than on that of the Google Play Store.
Bottom Line
Google Play Store records more downloads than Apple App Store annually, but the latter gets more revenue from its applications than Google Play Store.
