The number of new apps in the Android Market took a big leap forward in March, nearly doubling the amount of apps developed in the previous month.
According to AndroLib, the Android Market gathered another 9,329 apps last month, compared to 5,532 new apps in February. This is the first time the number of new Android apps exceeded 2,000, and it did so by a huge margin.
Keep in mind that AndroLib's figures aren't official, and Google said on at least one occasion that its own estimates are lower. AndroLib has said that Google might not count apps outside the United States or has an earlier cutoff date for its monthly estimates, or it's possible that AndroLib isn't properly counting the number of apps removed from the Android Market after they initially appear.
But even if AndroLib's figures are a little puffy, there's no question that the Android Market is quickly expanding. I just wonder why Android phone carriers such as Verizon Wireless aren't flaunting it. Seriously, I see billboards in Los Angeles that say "Droid Does Apps," but when you walk into a Verizon store, the coolest app available on their demo Droids is the Star Wars lightsaber noise maker. It's pathetic, but I digress.
In related news, Android itself is having a growth spurt. According to ComScore, Android's market share grew to 9 percent as of February, catapulting the operating system above Palm's 5.4 percent and putting it within striking distance of Windows Mobile, which dropped from 19.1 percent in November to 15.1 percent in February. iPhone market share moved down a tenth of a point to 25.4 percent, and Blackberry still dominates with 42.1 percent, having gained 1.3 percent over the three months tracked by ComScore.
That's great news for Google, but it's also good for Android phone owners. There's got to be a correlation between the market share of Android and the number of apps developed for it, so as the OS grows, it'll mean more app choices for users.
