The Android Market has reached 6 billion app downloads, according to a report from analytics firm research2guidance. The number of downloads is on par with the number of Android-based devices sold this year, with NPD Group putting the Android market share at 52 percent of all phones sold in America in the last quarter.
The research2guidance August report also points out the sea change in how much money developers are now making; since its debut many developers have suggested that they simply made more money on other platforms such as Apple's Marketplace. The August report suggests that the ecosystem for distributing and monetizing apps is showing "strong signs of improvement."
As of the end of August, the Android Market offered 277,252 apps, 35 percent of which were free to download and play. The average app, the report claims, makes almost $2500 in its lifetime, and sells at an average price of $3.13. Naturally, games are the fastest growing app category, and account for about a quarter of all downloads. Still, games have yet to surpass weather and business apps on the Market.
Finally, the report suggests that developers can improve an app's profit by 900 percent based on which category it occupies.
Source: GI.Biz
