RIM: 3 billion downloads for Blackberry apps, 90,000 available
RIM is apparently seeking to do a little “myth busting” regarding apps for its BlackBerry devices, but instead of calling Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman they’ve taken to their Inside Blackberry blog. Apparently, enough people believe that there aren’t sufficient apps for BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet that RIM feels compelled to point out otherwise.
In a little over three years, users of RIM’s BlackBerry App World have downloaded 3 billion apps, which averages out to 2.5 million for every day since its launch. RIM states it took just 176 days to jump from 2 to 3 billion, and that right now there are over 90,000 apps available for its devices, with 28,000 vendors selling apps in the store.
Impressive numbers, yes, but how do they stack up against RIM’s rivals? Apple’s App Store, launched in 2008, is the largest with over 650,000 apps and 30 billion downloads to date. Google’s Play Store (formerly Android Market) has also been in place since 2008, contains over 600,000 apps and has enjoyed 20 billion downloads by users. Microsoft’s Windows Phone, since the complete overhaul to version 7, utilizes Windows Phone Marketplace — available since late 2010 — and has enjoyed rapid growth, with over 100,000 apps being submitted by developers.
While RIM’s App World may not have the greatest content selection of the 4 major ecosystems, it certainly holds its own — and can provide some relief to RIM given the downward spiral it currently finds itself in. So, does BlackBerry App World have suffcient apps? Yes. Myth busted.
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