There was never any doubt that the iPhone had a huge App Store, but 100,000 is a heck of a lot. Also it seems like just last week that the one billionth app was download, and now it’s over two billion! These humongous numbers are a contributing force in the millions of people that flock to the iPhone. But do 100,000 apps mean anything?
Well over half of the top downloaded apps are games, and is it just me or has Facebook been on the Top Free apps section forever? Most people, including me, browse the App Store by checking out the Top 25 apps. The Top Paid section is littered with 99 cent games that are entertaining for a good hour or two, and the Top Free section is lousy with Free or Lite versions of paid apps.
Recently Apple has added a Genius tab to the Featured section of the App Store. When I first saw this I was very optimistic that I could find some applications that I would enjoy that have slipped through the cracks. Here are some of Genius’s recommendations:
- ContactsPlus based on BeejiveIM with Push
- Hubble based on Dictionary.com
- The Chemical Touch: Lite Edition based on Google Mobile App
Not only did these apps have almost no relation to the ones that they are supposed to be based on, but none of them interested me in the slightest. Needless to say I am very disappointed with Genius.
To sum up, Apple may have over 100,000 applications, but I only about sixty on my phone. The App Store is oversaturated with pointless applications that nobody cares for, and the applications hat people wants are blocked by the stores approval process. With all that said, I believe that the iPhone has the best store for applications on any mobile device.