Apps are the hit of 2009. Possessing the ability to turn your mobile device into anything from a gaming system to a GPS navigation device to a wine connoisseur, apps are everything to a phone OS. Android rolled past the 20,000 app total and now rests at 20,003.
Though Apple still reigns supreme in total app count, 100,000; Google’s Android OS seems to be on roll with big releases on major carriers. The Verizon Droid by Motorola is seen by many as the flagship Android phone, that is until the Nexus One by Google in a partnership with HTC comes along. Google looks intent on making Android as big a player as the mighty iPhone.
The 20,000 app mark shows that developers are showing an interest in the platform. Research over at AndroLib says almost 38% of available apps are paid. Paid apps are a good thing for an OS as it encourages developers to code for an OS with the incentive of earning dollars. The more popular an OS, the more developers will code for it and it becomes a self-sustaining system.
Verizon’s deal with Google to bring the Droid onto the market clearly helps Android. Phones featuring the Android OS are expected on AT&T in the near future as the carrier widens it’s already impressive smartphone offering.
Read: [AndroLib]
Update: Google's back this off a bit, suggesting 16,000 is a more reasonable number.