Microsoft's Windows Phone platform could pass 50,000 apps in its marketplace by January 2012, according to a new estimate.
Microsoft's Windows Phone could rack up 50,000 apps in its
marketplace in January 2012, according to a new estimate from the blog
All
About Windows Phone.
"At the current growth rate, we estimate that Windows Phone
Marketplace will reach the 50,000 app mark in the second or third week of
January 2012," read the blog's Nov. 16 posting. "However, it is possible that
this mark may be reached before the end of the year if submission rates
accelerate."
An accompanying graph shows the number of "content items" in
the Windows Phone Marketplace reaching 40,000 by November. However, the blog
notes, some of those items are either no longer available, or limited to
specific countries.
Other studies have suggested an increased developer interest
in Windows Phone, following news of Microsoft's alliance with Nokia to create
new devices for the platform. According to Appcelerator and research firm IDF,
which surveyed 2,160 Appcelerator Titanium developers earlier in November,
Windows Phone has eclipsed RIM's BlackBerry OS as a subject of interest-making
it the third mobile OS behind Apple's iOS and Google Android.
"Microsoft is enjoying symbiotic success with Nokia, read
the
summary
of that report. "When asked why developers are more interested in Windows
Phone 7 now than a year ago, a plurality (48 percent) said it was the
Microsoft/Nokia partnership."
Earlier this year Nokia made the somewhat controversial decision to abandon its homegrown
operating systems, most notably Symbian, in favor of Windows Phone. With
Microsoft's help, the Finnish phone maker
hopes to retain its global presence in the face of fierce competition from both
Apple's iPhone and Google Android devices.
Windows Phone's recent "Mango" update, which features
hundreds of tweaks and redesigns, could also draw developers in search of a
more robust platform on which to build their products. Over the next few
months, a variety of manufacturers plan on issuing new Windows Phone devices
loaded with Mango.
Even with that concerted push, it remains to be seen whether
Windows Phone will attract the audience base it needs in order to succeed in a
turbulent marketplace. But unlike some mobile contenders which have crashed and
burned over the past few quarters, including Hewlett-Packard's
webOS, Windows Phone won't lack for apps.
Follow
Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter
Email
Print
