Windows Phone Reaches 30,000 Apps, Opens Marketplace to Mango Submissions
There are now 30,000 mobile applications available for Windows Phone, Microsoft's newest mobile operating system. That's a huge jump from the 11,500 apps Microsoft reported back in March, but still far short of industry leaders, iOS and Android.
Context & Ripple Effects
Windows Phone's catalog has more than tripled since Windows Phone 7's marketplace hit 10,000 apps in March, with Microsoft reporting 30,000 titles by late August 2011 — though the company itself frames the number as far short of iOS and Android. The growth spurt coincides with Microsoft opening the Marketplace to Mango submissions, letting developers queue apps against the OS update before it lands on devices.
First-order effects
- Developers now have a live submission pipeline for Mango, so third-party publishers can have apps ready at or near launch rather than waiting for the OS update to ship.
- Buyers and reviewers judging Windows Phone on catalog depth get a materially larger library to evaluate — roughly three times the March figure.
Second-order effects
- iOS and Android face no immediate pressure from the raw number, but Microsoft's acceleration raises the cadence competitors must sustain to keep the catalog-gap argument alive against the third ecosystem.
- Carriers and OEM partners weighing shelf space for Windows Phone devices gain a stronger talking point, while the persistent gap with iOS and Android keeps their commitment contingent.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, app-count becomes the de facto scoreboard for any challenger platform's credibility, forcing every would-be third ecosystem to buy or subsidize developer volume to cross perceived viability thresholds.
The trend: Mobile platform competition in 2011 is consolidating into a catalog-scale race, with Microsoft using pre-release submission windows to close the gap against iOS and Android.