14 DAY TRIAL // Google has quietly confirmed that its application store, the Android Market has just passed 100,000 applications. This is an important milestone that we've expected a little bit earlier, but with all the hype built around the release of newer versions of the Android OS, the "achievement" was delayed for one or two months.
Even if Android Market is nowhere near the AppStore, which seems to have about 300,000 apps, the fact that it managed to get from 30,000 to 100,000 in only 7 months is simply remarkable and confirms the incredible boost that the operating system has gotten from the handset manufacturers.
If things continue this way, Android Market could easily take on AppStore, but I wouldn't quite bet on it if Google doesn't change its politics about releasing new Android OS versions every five or six months.
The fact that Google is improving its OS every couple months is praise-worthy, but not that good for developers who don't have time to adjust their apps' compatibility with the latest version of the operating system.
Also, a lot of people are low rating apps that are not working or their devices, even if they're not meeting the minimum requirements. That makes the developers withdraw their apps from the Android Market, as they feel they've been rated unfair.
It took Google almost 2 years to reach 100,000 apps, but I'm pretty sure it will take a lot less to double the number.
At the moment, Android Market is somewhere between AppStore and Blackberry App World / Nokia Ovi Store, but it has the best chances to compete with Apple's store.
The growth in sales for Android smartphones, which seriously overwhelmed the iPhone, will most likely help a lot Google in breaking the 200,000 milestone pretty soon.
As more and more people are buying Android smartphones, entry-level or high-end, they will be able to find themselves a wide range of useful third-party apps that are not included in the stock version of the operating system.