iPad users have downloaded over 3 billion apps since the launch of the original iPad, reports ABI research, accounting for 19% of all downloads from the App Store. Interestingly, the iPad reached the 3 million milestone six months faster than the iPhone!
iPad users are estimated to have cumulatively downloaded three billion applications since the launch of the iPad in 2010. This was 19% of all cumulative downloads by Apple users. The iPhone took as long as two years before being able to achieve this level of downloads, while the iPad made it within nearly a year and a half. In comparison, Android tablets only have around 440 million downloads thus far.
While it’s no surprise that Android tablets are lagging behind in this respect (mostly because Android tablets have largely been an utter commercial failure), it’s still interesting to see the numbers brought to light.
According to research associate Lim Shiyang, Android fragmentation also has a big part to play in the matter:
Many Android tablets in the market are still using older versions of Android, which disadvantages users from enjoying the better effects of apps produced from more advanced software development kits.
Shiyang also points out that a large portion of the Android tablet market is taken up by low-end tablets that can’t compete when it comes to real-world user experience.
