BlackBerry App World growing faster than App Store and Google Play

BlackBerry App World growing faster than App Store and Google Play
Lots more developers and apps, but still a way to go

Research in Motion has confirmed that it's hit the 99,500 application mark in its BlackBerry OS and PlayBook App World stores.

Alec Saunders, Vice President of Developer Relations for RIM, took to the stage at BlackBerry World 2012 in Orlando to bust some myths surrounding the company and applications on BlackBerry devices.

Saunders mentioned the rumours which suggested that developers were leaving the BlackBerry platform, but apparently not, as he reported the number of vendors in the App World at the end of 2011 had risen by 254% on the previous year.

Fastest growing vendor community in the mobile world

That 254% increase makes the BlackBerry app vendor community the fasting growing in the mobile world in terms of new-to-existing app ratio.

Unsurprisingly this massive flux in vendors has resulted in a rise in the number of applications, with the BlackBerry App World now boasting 99,500 apps in its BB OS and PlayBook stores – a 226% year-on-year increase.

There's still some way for BlackBerry to go to match the likes of Apple's App Store and Google Play, which both house over 400,000 apps each - however RIM is combatting this with a whole range of new tools for developers, allowing them to easily create apps for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.