Dear Apple: Only 235,000 Apps? Only 47,000 Developers? Your "Closed" Model Sucks.

Edit
Delete
Tags
Autopost

Dear Apple: Only 235,000 Apps? Only 47,000 Developers? Your "Closed" Model Sucks.

Total Active Apps (currently available for download): 234,915 […]
Number of Active Publishers in the US App Store: 47,370

via 148apps.biz

I'm surprised Apple hasn't shut that site down for regularly publishing Apple's shame.

Meanwhile, I'm certain Android's freewheeling, "open" (except for the native API, or Flash), look-the-other-way, Lord of the Flies approach to app development has resulted in numbers that embarrass Apple's.

Right?

And even if the numbers aren't quite as high, I'm sure Android apps are overall of a higher quality, and will run on a higher percentage of phones than Apple's.

Right?

And even if fragmentation is a bit more of an issue, I'm sure Android developers are raking in cash from the reported 160K activations (potential new customers) per day.

Right?

For shame, Apple. Don't you know "open" always wins?

Tagged Android App Store Apps Google Market Place Software developers iOS iPhone

11 responses
Like
Comment

over 1 year ago Halex responded:

This post made my day. :)
LOL

over 1 year ago John Davis responded:

Tom, there is another point of view. You probably don't see it this way, but, here goes.

Personally, I couldn't care less that the App store isn't open. Actually I'm glad it isn't, "closed" gives you protection, it's kind of like wearing a condom. You know you aren’t going to catch anything.

I want to know what's going in my iPad and iPhone.

Safe Apps!

over 1 year ago Art Vandelay responded:

Most of the apps on the Apple app store are complete and total crap. Useless. But they have been approved by Steve Jobs, so I guess that makes them OK.

I have a Nexus One that I can hold any way I want and still make calls. Give me Android over that "walled garden" nonsense any day.

over 1 year ago steffenjobbs responded:

If the iHaters saw that Apple's iOS had 500,000 apps and 100,000 developers, they'd still swear that only about two apps are useful. Blind stupidity reigns supreme with Android fanboys. Some of the same developers that write for iOS, write for Android. Of course, the Android fanboys will say that developer's app is better on Android than it is on iOS. Android fanboys are basically insulting all developers by calling all their apps pure crap, sight unseen. No way any Android fanboy has downloaded all 235,000 apps to make such a judgment call that most of the apps are crap.

Google is going to have exert a bit more control over Android or it's gonna become the most fragmented OS of all time with about six versions of OS (1.5 to 2.2) and a dozen user interfaces. It's good that Motorola has already started to prevent people from changing bootloaders on the Droid X. Nerds think that smartphones are some sort of toy to fiddle with.

Market share ain't got nothing to do with "open" or "closed" platforms. Whatever the consumer wants, that's what he buys. It's just that cheaper usually sells in quantity. So Android will have larger market share eventually, but so what. Market share doesn't always equate to revenue or quality of product.

over 1 year ago Tom Reestman responded:

Art,

"Most of the apps on the Apple app store are complete and total crap"

Heh. Like the Android market place isn't full of fart apps. Have you perused Android apps? There are great ones, and ones that, for most people, are not so great. And some suck. Maybe that's like the App Store, but more apps, and a certification process, means more great ones.

"I have a Nexus One that I can hold any way I want"

Oh please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctc96mXTjx0 Every cell phone has a death grip. Get over it.

"Give me Android over that "walled garden" nonsense any day"

Beautiful. You've hit every item on the Android talking points memo. No originality points for you.

Regarding the "walled garden" nonsense, I'd rather have a phone with some curation and a "wall" that's maybe six inches high than the free-for-all, we-don't-care, potential security-risk and privacy-invasion of the Android market place.

Look, a phone is choice, it's not a life style or a religion. I couldn't care less you prefer Android to iPhone. What I care about is pretending Android to be something it's clearly and demonstrably not. The biggest pile of horse manure in the tech world ever piled on gullible wannabe geeks and Apple-bashers is the "open" BS.

over 1 year ago John Davis responded:

Gosh, we are getting all hot and bothered over nothing, aren’t we?

There may be apps that are sheer and utter crap in the App Store, I haven't found them yet. There are some free ones I've downloaded, played with once or twice and then dumped. But there are many, many that are truly useful. Pages and Things are two I use a lot, so is Skype.

And Art, do you seriously believe that Stephen Jobs has the time to check each app PERSONALLY?

If you're happy with Andrex, go ahead and use it.

I think you get a better wipe with Kleenex, but it's just a matter of taste.

Sorry! Bad simile.

over 1 year ago Neil Anderson responded:

Yep, open always wins ... except when it doesn't.

over 1 year ago AdamC responded:

Tom,

This site will keep Apple honest and the goog boys something to console themselves with.

over 1 year ago Blad_Rnr responded:

@Art,
Tom is right. If Android is going to leave the back door wide open, then anyone or anything can get in. Open has its advantages for those who know what they are doing. But for the VAST majority who just want to be able to download an app on their phone, where it just works and does what it's supposed to, and isn't some kind of root kit where your passwords and financial data are going to get hacked, I'll take the walled garden any day. The world isn't going to come to an end because of that one app that Apple refuses to let it. The open crowd needs to take a chill pill and realize everybody is not a geek. They have other interests and priorities, but they still want a spectacular smart phone that is the fun to use with best-in-class industrial design.

over 1 year ago Jfutral responded:

I'm still trying to find when open "won" in order to say "open always wins".

And I don't understand this obsessive need for Apple to "lose". Sounds a bit psychotic. Ok, maybe just neurotic. But why should/do you even care?

And considering Apple's latest earnings call, _any_ company wishes they "lost" like this.

Whatever.

Joe

over 1 year ago Matt responded:

Seems like some commentators didn't read this post as sarcasm. And, of course, we get the token "Android FTW!" comment from Art. The bottom line is Apple has created a model of how an app store should be run. It does occasionally have growing pains (it is only a couple years old), but it is not the wild west android market or the ghost town palm app store. The App Store provides it's user the best way to find and download apps for their iOS device and that is what the customer wants.

The Small Wave.

About