With iOS and Android being the dominant smartphone platforms, it isn’t surprising to see why developers have opted to develop for both platforms as opposed to other platforms, such as BlackBerry 10, Windows 10 Mobile, or Tizen. This is also why it isn’t that surprising to learn that by 2020, the iTunes App Store could play home to 5 million apps.
This is according to a report by analytics website Sensor Tower who claims that by their estimates, Apple will be able to hit that mark by 2020. As it stands, the iTunes App Store is home to more than 2 million apps, meaning that in the next 4 years, Apple is expected to double that number to 5 million.
Given that back in 2008 there were only 5,000 apps, going up by a thousand times is certainly quite an accomplishment. The report goes on to note that games are still the dominant category, followed by education, entertainment, business, and lifestyle, with 21,000 new games added in the month of May alone. This accounts for nearly half of the apps that debuted in May.
It is an interesting prediction but we have to wonder, with the smartphone market already maturing, will app development still continue at the frenzied pace from a year or two ago? Or will developers start to slow down in favor of other platforms, like virtual reality, augmented reality, or maybe even wearables? What do you guys think?