Another day, another report claiming Android is clawing ahead of iOS in some new respect. Research suggests Android has become the market leader in mobile app downloads.
ABI Research estimates that Android took a 44% share of the market during the second quarter, compared to 31% for iOS.
The average iPhone owner still consumes twice as many apps as the average Android user. This is both good and bad news for Apple – it means iOS users' app consumption habits are more lucrative, but also underscores the lead Android is taking in terms of phone shipments.
ABI estimates that Android's installed base now exceeds iOS by 2.4 to 1, and this will grow to 3 to 1 by 2016.
The world's smartphone owners are expected to download a combined 29 billion apps during 2011, up from just 9 billion last year, driven by a 46% increase in the installed smartphone base over the same period.
The research follows on the heels of a report from an app store intelligence firm stating that Android Market now has 500,000 apps, compared to the App Store's 600,000. Windows Marketplace meanwhile has around 35,000 one year in.
In the past month, analysts have also predicted that Android will overtake iOS in the APAC smartphone market this year, and estimated that Android recently extended its lead in the US market.
Still-unconfirmed reports have also suggested that Samsung achieved its goal of overtaking Apple as the top smartphone seller in the September quarter, due in large part to its Android line-up. But with iPhone 4S sales shattering Apple's own records, this could prove to be shortlived.