“iPad users are estimated to have cumulatively downloaded three billion applications since the launch of the iPad in 2010,” ABI Research reports.
“This was 19% of all cumulative downloads by Apple users,” ABI Research reports.
“The iPhone took as long as two years before being able to achieve this level of downloads, while the iPad made it within nearly a year and a half,” ABI Research reports. “In comparison, Android tablets only have around 440 million downloads thus far.”
MacDailyNews Take: Incorrect. The original iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. The App Store did not debut until a little over year later, on July 10, 2008. On January 5, 2010, Apple announced that more than three billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store by iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide. “Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months — this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
“Discounting all those apps that were originally developed for Android smartphones, Android still trails greatly behind the iPad in terms of its tablet app offerings,” says research associate Lim Shiyang, in the press release. “Many Android tablets in the market are still using older versions of Android, which disadvantages users from enjoying the better effects of apps produced from more advanced software development kits.”
“Besides offering a larger quantity of iPad-specific apps, Apple’s iPad apps are generally considered to be of a better quality compared to Android tablet-specific apps. As of Q3 2011, there were 120,000 apps published specifically for the iPad,” ABI Research reports.
“In terms of hardware, the iPad device still offers much more compared to the current crop of tablets in the market,” comments Dan Shey, practice director, mobile services, in the press release. “Android is currently being used on many low end tablets that do not offer experiences anywhere near the iPad and this dampens the download momentum for users.”
“However, things are expected to change as manufacturers adopt the recently-released Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as accelerate product development to close up the specifications gap between their tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and the iPad,” ABI Research reports. “Annual Android app downloads for smartphones are expected to hit 58 Billion by 2016, compared to 27 billion for Apple’s iPhone.”
ABI Research’s “Mobile Applications Market Data” tracks mobile application downloads and revenues segmented by mobile operating system platform. The database includes historical data and forecasts for application downloads for all major mobile OSs. It also provides mobile application revenue forecasts and an overview of the major mobile application storefronts.
This study is a part of the firm’s Mobile Applications Research Service.
Source: Allied Business Intelligence, Inc.
How the hell did Android tablets get 440 million downloads?
Compare the number of downloaded apps that are designed for tablets (instead of smartphone apps running on tablets), and the difference would be even more stark.
OR, compare the number of downloaded apps that are NOT free… For tablets, I’ll bet the difference in revenue generated for developers is something like 99% iPad, 1% all other tablets combined.
Ohhh, I see. So that 440 million is mostly Android smartphone apps and not actual tablet apps. Now it makes sense.
Hell, in terms of actual tablet app downloads it’s probably more like 50 million LOL.
““Annual Android app downloads for smartphones are expected to hit 58 Billion by 2016, compared to 27 billion for Apple’s iPhone.”
Hey, the world is ending in 2012, right??? LOL When we consider that the iPod is still selling over 70% of the mp3 market, well.. they call them anal…….. ysts for a reason. LOL
The Android “platform” should actually be counted as multiple sub-platforms. For example, the brand-new Kindle Fire is running a highly customized version of Android 2.3, and it will never see “Ice Cream Sandwich” (Android 4).
“However, things are expected to change as manufacturers adopt the recently-released Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich…”
Seems like they say this with every version.
It was downloaded by Malware without the user knowing what the heck is happening. hahaa… okay maybe not. But still at least the developers made like 2 bucks or something piddly amount of revenue. 😉
Apparently ABI Research doesn’t iCal quotes.
“Annual Android app downloads for smartphones are expected to hit 58 Billion by 2016, compared to 27 billion for Apple’s iPhone.”
Based on what, exactly? The fact that there are more Android devices in the field? How many times does that idea have to be debunked??
And a 4-year projection is a little silly. Four years in the mobile tech world might as well be a century. Who knows what Apple will be selling then, and who knows whether Android will even still be around?
——RM
Here’s the thing ……
How can they predict what or where the market will be by then ……
Apple may blow their minds and come in with who knows what …….
Bottom line and you hear this all the time ……
Use your Smartphone, iPhone, or iPad or other Mobil device to download this or do that ……
NEVER have I heard on any radio or tv ad or news person say …..
Use your Smartphone, Galaxy, or Playbook or other Mobil device to download …… Bla bla bla ……
My point …… The iPhone and iPad or iPod ….. Are the foot names for these types of mobil devices …..
Now I give Kindle some credit for ereader but other than that, Apple owns those category names …….
@Ansel — I just had your last point driven home this evening when my neighbor’s kids (boy 5, girl 9) told me they got iPads for Xmass. I said “wow, that’s great, you’re really lucky” and the girl said “yeah, we got the 7-inch ones.” I explained that Apple doesn’t make 7″ iPads and asked who made theirs and neither one of ’em could remember the name. They “think it starts with a ‘K’.” “But it’s NOT a Kindle” they quickly added. I still can’t decide if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that the iPad & iPhone, are becoming the Band-Aid & Kleenex of tablets & smart phones but I loved the fact that the kids didn’t even register the name of the manufacturer. They definitely would have known if they were Apple products.