Just as we’ve done with iPhone applications, we at Skyhook Wireless have been carefully tracking and studying the release of Android applications since the launch of the G1. While the sheer number of applications is not as impressive as the iPhone yet, it is clear that developers are increasingly interested in producing applications that use location, and users are eager to download them.
Many similarities exist between the location applications on the iPhone and the G1. Both phones contain a wide variety of location app types. The numbers of applications that fall under each category differ slightly, however the most common types are shared between the two phones. For instance, social networking and local search are two of the most common types of location apps found on both the iPhone and the G1. In addition, location-based apps are being developed in increasing numbers. The iPhone contains over 600 location-based applications, and on the G1 these account for nearly 17% of its total number of apps available for download.
There are also some stark differences between the two. The total number of applications on the iPhone far exceeds that of the G1, and this could obviously be attributed to the amount of time it has been available. However the interesting distinction lies in the number of applications added each day or week, an area where the iPhone easily outnumbers the G1. The iPhone adds hundreds, and sometimes thousands of applications each week. For example, the number of applications added to the iPhone during the week of 11/22 was 2,977. Meanwhile, the G1 is adding apps at a much slower rate. For the same week in November, the G1 only added 52 applications. On some days the G1 adds as many as 12 apps, where other days as few as one.
Our research so far has shown that location-based applications certainly have a large presence on both of these popular phones. As the number of apps offered on each phone increases, the number of location-based apps will raise as well, and it will be exciting to see this percentage become a larger portion of the total number available in the app stores.