Amazon Appstore Grows to 240,000 Apps Pre-Smartphone Launch

By Malarie Gokey June 16, 2014

Behind every great smartphone is a plentiful app store. Prior to Amazon’s big event on June 18, where the company is expected to launch its first smartphone, the online retailer announced that the number of apps in its Appstore almost tripled over the past year to reach an impressive 240,000 apps. The apps are available in approximately 200 countries around the world.

While these numbers may seem like small potatoes to Apple and Google, whose app stores contain more than a million apps each, Amazon points out that its Appstore is growing rapidly and doing quite well considering the competition it is up against. All of Amazon’s devices run a forked version of Android called Fire OS, so it doesn’t have access to Google’s app suite and developers have to create special versions of apps for Amazon’s OS.

Even so, some developers may not mind the extra work. As it turns out, several independent reports indicate that Amazon’s Appstore offers bigger money-making opportunities to developers than both iOS and Android. As part of its announcement, Amazon commissioned a similar study from the International Data Corporation (IDC) to prove that its app store is the most profitable for app creators. In a press release, Amazon said that 65 percent of the developers surveyed said total revenue for apps on Fire OS is better or equal to what they get on other platforms.

Amazon-Fire-Phone-appfarm — Image used with permission by copyright holder

“Developers tell us that they experience improved reach, greater monetization, and, oftentimes, higher revenue when they have their apps and games in the Amazon Appstore,” said Mike George, vice president of Amazon Appstore and Games, in a statement.

As a result, Amazon says the number of developers working on apps for Fire OS has doubled over the past year. So, although its Appstore may not have a million apps yet, Amazon is confident that it soon will. Indeed, if Amazon does launch its first-ever smartphone on the 18th, it’s certainly going to need all the apps it can get. Clearly, Amazon is hoping that its press release inspires a few developers to climb onboard. However, it may need more than the promise of revenue to attract developers who are daring enough to create apps for the smartphone’s rumored 3D interface.

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