In the apps numbers game, Google’s (GOOG) Android is gaining on Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone.The two-year-old Android Market now is offering more than 200,000 apps and games for download, Softpedia reports. This compares with more than 300,000 for the Apple operating system.
“Apple’s App Store for the iPhone, iPod and iPad might still be on the first position, with over 300k application available for download for its users, but the Android Market is still going up, and it even seems to be accelerating,” said Softpedia.
Android apps are being downloaded at a clip of 103 downloads per second, with total downloads passing 2.5 billion.
It’s estimated that Android could overtake Apple in 2014.
Google didn’t confirm the numbers. And Softpedia warned: “The actual numbers might be a little different than what AndroLib.com shows, something that has happened before.”
In tab news for app users:
— Electronista reports that based on LCD orders, Apple could ship as many as 65 billion iPads in 2011. Analysts previously had estimated that 40 million of the pioneering tabs would ship in 2011. “If the estimates are close to Apple’s actual shipping goals, it could help the iPad lead the tablet market for longer than thought,” said Electronista.
— Zach Epstein at BGR, citing analyst Shaw Wu at Kaufman Brothers, said the release of Research In Motion’s (RIMM) Blackberry PlayBook tab could be delayed. Wu said the PlayBook’s battery life is not up to snuff, compared with Apple’s iPad’s 10 hours and Samsung Galaxy Tab’s six hours. He said the device could be out in May.
