It’s no secret that Android’s growth would ultimately lead to big market share increases in multiple categories when compared to iOS. Android is pre-loaded on hundreds of phones and iOS is pre-loaded on just three: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. In Q2, Android took another step in fulfilling the expectations we all had. It’s now the leading platform for mobile app downloads, claiming 44 percent of the pie and leaving iOS with 31 percent, according to recent research by ABI.
Shipments for Android smartphones increased dramatically in Q2, up 36 percent from the previous quarter. iPhone shipments grew just 9 percent, and that’s down from the 15 percent growth it saw in the earlier quarter. The Android install base pitted against the iOS install base is 2.4 to 1, and ABI Research anticipates the rising ratio to reach 3 to 1 by 2016.
Though Google’s green robots are eating up app download market share, iOS is still the leader in a number of key areas. For one, the statistics for app downloads per user are in Apple’s favor. Individual iOS users are downloading twice as many apps as Android users are. Additionally, the iOS App Store houses the most apps — over 500,000. Android lags behind with over 300,000, and isn’t growing as fast as earlier reports assumed, but is growing nonetheless.
Smartphones in general are seeing tremendous widespread adoption. The total smartphone install base for 2011 should see a 46 percent rise over last year. App downloads may very well reach 29 billion in 2011, which is over triple the amount of downloads in 2010.
