app_store_icon_170According to a new report from research firm Canalys, Android tablets have only a portion of the quality apps that are available on Apple's iPad.

30 of the top 100 paid and free apps in Apple's iPad App Store during the first half of 2013 were unavailable in the Google Play store. An additional 18 apps could be downloaded, but were not optimized for tablet users.

Only 52 of the 100 top App Store apps were available on Google Play and optimized for tablets. Six of those apps were originally paid apps in the App Store, but available in an ad-supported capacity on Google Play, which Canalys points out often provides an inferior experience.

"Quite simply, building high-quality app experiences for Android tablets has not been among many developers' top priorities to date," said Canalys Senior Analyst Tim Shepherd. "That there are over 375,000 apps in the Apple App Store that are designed with iPad users in mind, versus just a fraction of this – in the low tens of thousands – available through Google Play, underscores this point ."

Earlier this month, Canalys reported that non-iOS tablets surpassed the iPad in global market share for the first time, with Apple taking just a 42.7% share of worldwide tablet shipments. Tablets from Samsung, Amazon, Lenovo, Acer, and others combined to capture 57.3% of tablet shipments.

Google Play downloads also reportedly surpassed App Store downloads during the second quarter of 2013, but despite greater Android tablet and smartphone shipments and a higher number of app downloads, Apple's App Store still brings in over twice the amount of revenue.

Canalys obtained its data on the App Store and the Google Play store by aggregating daily app rankings during the first half of 2013. Canalys has provided a detailed list [PDF]
of the top free and paid App Store apps that were available or unavailable for the Google Play store.

Top Rated Comments

ghost187 Avatar
147 months ago
Oh yeah !?

What apps ?

I just got a Nexus 7 and it beats the hell out of iPad

HOW? With it's GPS and Multitouch issues, or by flapping its monster bezel?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doctor Q Avatar
147 months ago
Strange methodology

How many of the top Google Play apps are available for the iPad? Without answering that question the reported results could simply show that the marketplaces have different sets of apps, as opposed to one being a subset of the other.

It wouldn't surprise me to see proof that iPad apps are higher quality, but rather than show it this analysis begs the question by defining a high quality app as one available for iPad.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
147 months ago
I don't want to sound like a overzealous Apple lover, but....

Apple holding it's own against 5 other companies world wide is an impressive feat. Regardless if Apple's marketshare is just 42%. Rather impressive.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Karma*Police Avatar
147 months ago
I'd say that even the Android phone apps aren't on par with their iOS counterparts. Flixster comes to mind cos I just used it on my HTC and iPhone this weekend and the difference in design and polish was immediately obvious.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yousifabdullah Avatar
147 months ago
Proud to be an iPad user. :)

EDIT: I should clarify, I have used my iPad exclusively since late 2012. Bought the 4th gen when it came out and sold my rMBP the same week. I work in retail and as a librarian, need Office apps and I draw and make music in my free-time. I've found the iPad to be perfect for me. The app experience is the best I've ever had and I've tried out the Nexuses, Surfaces, etc. Can't wait for the 5th gen to drop, will buy a 128GB Cellular instantly! :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Technarchy Avatar
147 months ago
This is exactly what I was thinking. Unless they go the other way, this report means very little. Not to say the results would or wouldn't come to the same conclusion, but the methodology of judgement is completely flawed.

Note that I've been using Samsung Galaxies for about two years after switching from my iPhone 4S, and I also use an iPad. So I continuously use apps on both platforms. And I can say unequivically that in geberal the totality of the apps are pretty comparible. There are certainly a lot of apps that iOS does better or don't exist on Android and mny that ASndroid does better or don't exist on iOS. The top aps are pretty comparable. Android is weak on anything that uses no-latency audio and iOS is weak on anything that needs access to file systems and a lot of menu options. Generally iOS apps look visually better while Android apps have more flexibility.

The difference being that android users care more about what they are missing on iOS.

All my favorite android apps are on iOS. I do mean all.

But several of my favorite iOS apps are totally missing from android.

This doesn't even factor in apps that cater to specific industries like medical and education that don't have a prayer of ending up on Android.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...