New Mexico Business Weekly
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 11:04am MDT

Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating system has reportedly surpassed Apple Inc.'s iOS in the number of apps downloaded globally in the second quarter of this year, according to Business Weekly sister paper, the San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal.
ABI Research said that between April and June, 44 percent of the mobile apps downloaded were for Android devices, compared to 31 percent for iOS devices.
The firm said that Google’s open approach to its mobile operating system has helped it grow much faster than Apple’s.
It said that Android smart phone shipments grew by 36 percent, compared to 20 percent in the first quarter. Apple’s iPhone shipments slowed to 9 percent from 15 percent in the same time period.
Despite that, the number of apps downloaded per user is still in Apple’s favor by about 2-1, the report said.
“Apple’s superior monetization policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience,” said ABI Research’s Dan Shey.
The overall number of downloads are projected to more than triple to 29 billion this year from about 9 billion last year, with the number of smart phones in the world growing by about 46 percent.
Apple operate a full-service retail store in the ABQ Uptown development in Albuquerque.