Not that there was any doubt which app marketplace had the most apps out there, but sometimes, seeing it all laid out there as empiric data points on a chart can really put things in fresh perspective.
Take this chart just posted by Silicon Valley Insider, which ranks all four major smartphone providers according to how many apps they have available on their marketplaces.
Of course, we knew Apple was destroying pretty much everyone out there in volume of apps available. Of the competition, Android’s doing best: they’ve multiplied their app catalog sixfold in the last nine months (to Apple’s own 3.5x) but unless they keep that up for the next 18 months, they’re not likely to catch up… especially with the iPad imminent.
As for RIM and Palm? The fresh perspective here isn’t that Apple’s beating the competition… it’s that they’ve managed ripped the heads off of both RIM and Palm’s steaming App Marketplace trunks.