From CNET.com
Android captured a leading 44 percent of all mobile app downloads in the second quarter, according to ABI Research, surpassing Apple's iOS, which grabbed 31 percent. The research firm attributed Android's gain in part to recent shipment numbers.
For the second quarter, growth in iPhone shipments fell to 9 percent from 15 percent in the first quarter, while Android's shipment growth rose to 36 percent from 20 percent. Android's total install base now outweighs that of iOS by a factor of 2.4 to 1, ABI said, a ratio that will reach 3 to 1 by 2016.
But Android's open source strategy is also driving app downloads, according to ABI. "Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores," ABI research associate Lim Shiyang said in a statement. "These conditions alone explain why Android is the new leader in the mobile application market."
But though Android may be tops in total downloads, Apple still holds the lead in the number of downloads per user.
"Despite leading in total mobile application downloads, Android's app downloads per user still lag behind Apple's by 2-to-1," Dan Shey, ABI's practice director for mobile services, said in a statement. "Apple's superior monetization policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience."
