Google Play Store serves up 15 billion downloads, more to come
Some of you hated the rebranding of Google's market apps to Google Play, but I think it was a brilliant move: you play games, you play media, and no matter what you're doing, you're playing with your phone.
Regardless of your feelings toward the name, it's no surprise that the store has been a success. Introduced in September 2010 alongside Android, the Android Market/Google Play Store has been the main way millions of Android users have downloaded apps to their devices – 15 billion apps, in fact.
Yesterday, a Google representative told TechCrunch that the Play Store has exceeded 15 billion app downloads, and that the milestone was hit "a few weeks ago." According to TC, that means Google's store is seeing roughly 1 billion downloads per month; Apple, 1.25 billion.
As a techie who is leaving iOS for Android, these numbers make me feel a lot better about the Play Store. Sure, I've used plenty of Android devices in the past, but the relatively lackluster browsing experience and app quality had left me – well, less-than-impressed. When I put that together with the news that developers might be getting scared away from Android, I got really scared about my venture into Google's walled garden massive and open rainforest.
Obviously, that report didn't tell the full truth – and I am even more excited to become a full-time Android user.
[TechCrunch]
