Some interesting statistics mark the humble beginnings of both iOS and Android platforms in relation to their apps. When App store went live back in 2008 alongside the iPhone 3G, it hosted 500 apps. That’s a modest number compared to what they have today. On the other hand, Microsoft was having 18,000 apps for its mobile OS at the time. However, after Apple overcame a few teething problems, it finally overtook its rivals when it achieved ten million downloads in the first weekend. These figures turned into 100 million download in the first 3 months. This translated into 1.5 billion downloads in that same year. App store now had some 65,000 apps dedicated to it.
Interestingly enough, most of the apps here were meant for gaming. It appears that consumers had already developed interest towards mobile gaming, which is why app developers were giving them games on their smart phones in form of gaming apps. But of course things were not as good as what is currently being witnessed in the Slots2Slots app. Developers had not yet perfected the art of making cutting edge gaming apps with quality graphics and audio, although quality control was strictly practiced by Apple before allowing mobile apps into their app store. Even then, quality meant abiding by the standards of that time.
Android rivalry to Apple
Steve Jobs was right when he predicted that it was going to be very hard for rivals to catch up with App store. For sure, none of the developers was able to compete with Apple at the time. Only Android was able to catch up and compete fairly – something that is true even today. Apple had generated that critical number of audience, plus it had a tighter quality control policy in place. Consumers had developed loyalty towards the platform.
While Android apps were hot on the heels following the success of Apple, the developers in question were doing everything they could to prevent mass defection to the rival that Android was. Today, Android apps have far outpaced iOS apps in numbers.
Despite this, app store revenue tends to be slightly higher than that of Android. On the other hand, Android app downloads tend to be 60% higher than App store downloads.
The reason why Apple still manages a higher revenue threshold is because it still holds on to a premium customer base which can afford iPhones – customers who have no qualms paying for premium apps and in-app purchases. However, that’s not the case for Android consumers. First off, the Android market ranges from extremely cheap phones to expensive ones. This means that only a tiny percentage of Android users are willing to pay for their apps. The rest prefer to use free apps. So while Apple has more revenue out of the app downloads, Android has the numbers.
Verdict
Despite quality of Google Play apps not been at par with that of the app store, you can still find the best android casino app (if you are an online casino user) in the market. These are independently designed by top-notch casino software developers to attract new consumers and keep the existing ones. Generally, Android app developers have improved, especially in the area of gaming apps.
