Android App Downloads Exceed 10 Billion

Game and application downloads on Google's Android platform have crossed the 10 billion mark, as consumers are now installing apps on their Android-powered devices at a rate of 1 billion per month. That rate is growing, too -- it took the Android Market 22 months to reach 1 billion game and app downloads since its launch in October 2008, eight more months to reach 3 billion, and then eight months to reach 10 billion. For comparison, Apple hit 1 billion downloads in 20 months after the App Store launched in July 2008, 3 billion two months later, and 10 billion seven months later (in January 2011). As of October, before the iPhone 4s' launch, there had been 18 billion downloads across the 250 million iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches sold so far. Apple reported that it was seeing around 1 billion downloads per month then, too. Google hasn't specified how many of its 10 billion downloads were games, or the break-up between free and paid downloads. It hasn't disclosed how much it's paid developers, either. Apple had paid developers $3 billion as of two months ago. The search giant did report last month that it has seen over 200 million activations for Android-powered smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet also uses a modified version of Android with a proprietary App market. To celebrate this milestone, the company is temporarily discounting several Android Market games and apps to 10 cents for the next 10 days, starting with titles like Minecraft, Fieldrunners HD, Deer Hunter, Asphalt 6 HD, and Great Little War Game.