Android Market vs. iPhone App Store: The First 24 Hours

Google’s Android Market has been officially live for 24 hours. Here are some early observations and comparisons with the iPhone App Store’s first 24 hours.

There are myriad similarities between iPhone and Android users:

  • They like to play games, shop, and know what music they are listening to,
  • They are curious about the weather, and
  • They generally share the same interests as iPhone users 

During the first 24 hours of Android Market, 62 apps were available to consumers, all free.  This is less than 10% of the number of apps we saw at the launch of Apple’s App Store. Although Apple allowed both free and paid applications to be distributed when the App Store launched, paid downloads for Android will not be available until Q1 2009.

Observation #1 - The average application has 7,800+ downloads.

Android Market is providing some detail on downloads per application -  in contrast to Apple’s embargo of this information after the first 15 hours of launching their App Store.  Rather than displaying exact figures, Android phones show download ranges for a given application, with the smallest range we observed being 100-500 and the largest 10,000-50,000. Given those ranges, roughly 206,000 to 770,000 downloads occurred within the first 24 hours of launch. The weighted average of midpoints is 7,850 downloads/app, just north of the middle of the 5,000 - 10,000 range.

Observation #2  - Nine apps made it to the 10,000 - 50,000 downloads range.

If we use ratings and number of reviews to differentiate, unlike the iPhone platform, games are not in the top three.  Of the nine apps in this range, only three are games.  ShopSavvy is at the top of the list factoring in ratings and number of reviews, followed by The Weather Channel, and Shazam, an app that helps people identify a song they are listening to.  During the early hours of the iPhone App Store, while Apple was still publishing download data, only two apps broke the 10,000 download mark - Remote and AIM.  Remote, the leading app, was downloaded ~16,000 times. Although the ranges for the top Android apps are similar, it is still too early  to assert with confidence that a trajectory similar to Apple’s App Store is occurring.  Other factors over time need to be considered, including the total number of apps in the market.

Observation #3 - 24 hours into the launch, it appears that either Android users are generally interested in the same types of application functionality as iPhone users, or possibly, that Android developers are generally interested in creating the same types of apps as iPhone developers.

We compared our observations of the iPhone App Store 24 hours after launch with Android Market, and found that once we normalized the names of categories between the two platforms, the categories have similar distributions of applications. We had to make some assumptions and groupings to make our best apples-to-androids comparison and noted those in the table below the chart.

As always, we love hearing from anyone who is interested in learning more about, or sharing their experiences about this new platform. Feel free to contact us at connect at www.medialets.com or follow us on twitter at @medialets.

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38 Responses to “Android Market vs. iPhone App Store: The First 24 Hours”

  1. Android Market Day One Stats | AndroidGuys Says:

    [...] Thanks to our friends at Medialets, we have some numbers to share with you guys.  The first 24 hours are in the books and we, just like you, want to know how well apps from the Android Market did. Here are a couple of observations that were sent our way: [...]

  2. Android Market Takes On Apple’s App Store: Games Still Rule, But Should They? Says:

    [...] passed since the launch of the Android Market, the Google equivalent to Apple’s App Store. Medialets has conducted a thorough analysis of the two store launches. The verdict: the size of Android [...]

  3. The One & Only Google Android Blog » Day One Stats from the Android Market Says:

    [...] Our friends over at Medialets published a cool post detailing the day one stats from the Android Market. Very interesting indeed. It’s a quick and easy read, so if you’d like to check it out simply click here. [...]

  4. Android Market vs. iPhone App Store Says:

    [...] Las primeras 24 horas del Andorid Market sueltan números interesantes en su “lucha” contra el iPhone App Store. En inglés. Vía Digg. ← Anterior | Inicio Comparte esta anotación Imprimir [...]

  5. Mariano Marcos Says:

    Thanks for your work!
    Thanks!

  6. Android Market Takes On Apple’s App Store: Games Still Rule, But Should They?  »TechAddress Says:

    [...] passed since the launch of the Android Market, the Google equivalent to Apple’s App Store. Medialets has conducted a thorough analysis of the two store launches. The verdict: the size of Android [...]

  7. Первые сутки Android Market | Android OS Says:

    [...] Перевод оригинальной статьи с MediaLets. [...]

  8. TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » Android Market、AppleのApp Storeに追随。「ゲーム」分野が多数を占める傾向は続くのか? Says:

    [...] AppleのApp StoreのGoogle版であるAndroid Marketがオープンして24時間が経過した。Medialetsが、両ストアオープン時の比較検討を行っている。まず、サービス開始時においてAndroidの規模はAppleとは比べ物にならないほど小規模なものとなっている。また有料アプリケーションの登録は来年以降に制限されている。しかし両者には類似点の方が多く、また登録されているアプリケーションにも同じものが多くあり、かつ双方ともゲームの登録数が多いと結論づけている。 [...]

  9. » Android Market vs App Store » iPhoneFan Says:

    [...] comparaciones son odiosas pero Medialets ha echo ya un comparativo de las primeras 24 horas, durante las cuales Android Market solo tenia [...]

  10. Android Market’s first 24 hours: It’s like deja vu all over again (but with less apps) » VentureBeat Says:

    [...] like games, shopping, music and weather, according to the data. Perhaps not coincidentally, those often seem to be topics people talk about or do when [...]

  11. Android Market vs. iPhone App Store | Noticias, novedades, tecnología, programación - Bit & Bit Says:

    [...] Las primeras 24 horas del Andorid Market sueltan números interesantes en su “lucha” contra el iPhone App Store. En inglés. Vía Digg. [...]

  12. Frank Rizzo Says:

    Is there somewhere that provides information on the total number of Google phone purchasers versus the number of Apple iPhone purchasers for the first day of release? That’s definitely a key factor, as is the fact that Apple laid the groundwork for this generation of smart phones and in essence and application marketplace.

    I think these stats are a bit skewed because most people getting the new phone, of course, are going to try and fill it with software. Remember, early adopters are not typical consumers. I think the average consumer is not going to pony up $99 per month for cellphone service, plus extra money for apps. Not to mention, most of us long time T-mobile subscribers have been getting free phones for years (like my awesome Motorola).

    That’s one additional thing about Android and iPhone users, they are loose with their money :-)

  13. Android Market vs App Store - iPhoneros.net - Foro de iPhone Says:

    [...] tel

  14. The First 24 Hours: Android Market vs. App Store | MacBlogz - One Stop Apple News Says:

    [...] kind folks at Medialets have provided a multitude of observations and comparisons between the opening days of Apple’s [...]

  15. Haywired 3.0 - Android Market против App Store: первые 24 часа Says:

    [...] для мобильных приложений Medialets провела интересное сравнение результатов работы онлайновых магазинов Android Market и App [...]

  16. Android Market vs. iPhone App Store : mundotapatio.com Says:

    [...] Las primeras 24 horas del Andorid Market sueltan números interesantes en su “lucha” contra el iPhone App Store. En inglés. Vía Digg. [...]

  17. Android Market vs. iPhone App Store « Wir sprechen Online. Says:

    [...] The same types of applications driving Apple’s App Store also drive the Android App Market; http://is.gd/4F5I [...]

  18. Breaking Down the First 24 Hours of the Android Marketplace and the iPhone App Store | iPhone3G.com.au – Australia’s independent iPhone Authority Says:

    [...] of these apps released by both platforms at launch, this assessment is probably a bit premature. [Medialets] Share and [...]

  19. iPhone App Store FaceOff with Android Market | Startup Wire Says:

    [...] that helps people identify a song they are listening to Games are the most popular mobile apps [via Medialets] Related Posts Random Posts Google’s Android Marketplace is now LiveOctober [...]

  20. Android Market First 24 Hours Stats | Android Central Says:

    [...] [Medialets] [...]

  21. Android Market and iPhone App Store Compared | Android Central Says:

    [...] [Medialets] [...]

  22. Android Market Takes On Apple’s App Store | Latest Technology News - Business News And Expert Advice Says:

    [...] have passed since the launch of the Android Market, the Google equivalent to Apple’s App Store. Medialets has conducted a thorough analysis of the two store launches. The verdict: the size of Android [...]

  23. Bilan comparé Android Market vs iPhone App Store après 24 heures | Gotmilker Says:

    [...] Mais sans connaître le nombre d’applications disponibles au lancement dans chaque catégorie sur chacune des plates-formes, il est difficile de tirer des conclusions. En revanche, il serait intéressant de revoir ce même comparatif quand l’Android aura atteint son régime de croisière. [Medialets] [...]

  24. Zsnoop Says:

    Pues es lógico que se descarguen mas aplicaciónes de Android market, primero por que al sistema le faltan algunas cosillas, además, los usuarios de AppStore no sabían lo que era el concepto y se han mostrado mas “trankiletes” hasta saber algo mas, al contrario que el Android market que por salir mas tarde, todo el mundo ya sabe como va el tema (claro, si es casi calcada la idea…).

    Si es que hacen unas comparativas…..

    Saludos a todos

  25. Apple App store vs. Android Marketplace | johnwilker.com Says:

    [...] across this blog post, talking about the first 24 hours of each app outlet. Distribution of Android apps [...]

  26. streetstylz Says:

    NeoMedia has patents that cover scanning UPC and 2D barcodes to retrieve Internet content with a camera enabled cell phone

  27. WIRELESS « Daily Marauder Says:

    [...] have passed since the launch of the Android Market, the Google equivalent to Apple’s App Store. Medialets has conducted a thorough analysis of the two store launches. The verdict: the size of Android [...]

  28. Bookmarks vom 24-10-2008 — ErkenntnisWerk Says:

    [...] Android Market vs. iPhone App Store: The First 24 Hours Google’s Android Market has been officially live for 24 hours. Here are some early observations and comparisons with the iPhone App Store’s first 24 hours. (Tags: platform market application android iphone mobile google) [...]

  29. The Webby Awards Present WebbyConnect Says:

    [...] both the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) App store and the Android Market is that it’s too early to tell. In a blog post, Medialets theorized: “Although the ranges for the top Android apps are similar, it is still too early to assert [...]

  30. Android Market Day One Stats | The Androider Says:

    [...] Thanks to our friends at Medialets, we have some numbers to share with you guys.  The first 24 hours are in the books and we, just like you, want to know how well apps from the Android Market did. Here are a couple of observations that were sent our way: [...]

  31. 统计署:Android用户更喜欢应用而不是游戏|AndroidMarket与AppleAppStore比较 | 搜索引擎优化一点通 Says:

    [...] 在上周五晚些时候,游戏下载才夺回势头排进了前20名,不过在这些20个下载次数在1 0000到5 0000次之间的应用中,只有5款游戏应用。而在周四的时候,一家名为Medialets的移动研究公司发布的报告指出:那个时侯,仅有6款应用和3款游戏达到了上文的下载量;对于第一天来说,Android Market的表现和App Store相当。 [...]

  32. Android Market versus App Store: de 24-uurs-statistieken op een rij > Nieuws > iPhoneclub.nl Says:

    [...] Medialets blog Dit nieuwtje is geschreven door Dennis de Jong. var post_author = ‘100′; Vorige nieuwsitem [...]

  33. games news » Blog Archive » Android users favoring apps over games Says:

    [...] Thursday, mobile research firm Medialets reported there were six applications and three games with that many downloads. Analyzing a variety of data, [...]

  34. Apple App Store vs Android Marketplace | INTERATIVO.info Says:

    [...] blog Medialets fez algumas comparações entre o Android Marketplace e a Apple App Store. A pesquisa foi realizada [...]

  35. Selección Digital» Faq-Mac.com » Los usuarios de Android prefieren las aplicaciones a los juegos Says:

    [...] jueves, la firma Medialets informó de que había seis aplicaciones y tres juegos con esa cantidad de descargas. Analizando una [...]

  36. Comparison shopping: Android Market vs. the App Store Says:

    [...] 62 applications, roughly 10 percent the number available when the App Store launched; according to data released by mobile ad firm Medialets, the average app tallied more than 7,800 downloads on the [...]

  37. iPhone App Store vs Android Market : bilan des premières 24H | iPhone Killer Says:

    [...] Pour en savoir, lire tout l’article de Medialets [...]

  38. Android Market vs. iPhone App Store: The First 24 Hours « web ennepuntozero (n>1) Says:

    [...] | Tag: android, iphone, market Google’s Android Market has been officially live for 24 hours. Here are some early observations and comparisons with the iPhone App Store’s first 24 hours. Nessun Commento finora Lascia un [...]

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