Microsoft's Windows Marketplace crosses 50,000 apps milestone

Microsoft's Windows Marketplace has finally hit the 50,000 app milestone. Not bad for just over a year. 

All About Windows Phone recently published its findings on how well apps are performing on the Windows Phone Marketplace and the results are encouraging for Microsoft.

WP Marketplace has received more than 50,000 apps, crossing a major milestone a lot sooner than expected.

According to the report that GSMarena got its hands on, growth of the Marketplace has accelerated in the past few months, indicating a growing fan base of the Windows Phone users and developers.

Microsoft reached the initial 40,000 mark over a period of one year. Currently, over 265 items are being added to the Marketplace every day. 

Over 13,000 different publishers have submitted games and applications to Microsoft for the Marketplace, out of which approx. 17,000 items have been put up in the last three months. This previous month alone accounted for over 8,000 new Marketplace apps. 

In terms of categories, entertainment, books and references, games and tools and productivity make up 57% of the Marketplace content.

Entertainment is the best seller with over 7,500 apps, followed by approx. 7000 apps under books and references.

Games and tools and productivity take up the 3rd and 4th slots respectively with close to 7000 and 6800 apps. 58% of the apps on the marketplace are free, something welcomed by users.

In comparison, Android offers 69% of its apps without charge whereas Apple falls behind with only 43% of free apps. 

Sophisticated new Windows Phone devices and spruced up applications on the Marketplace have put Microsoft firmly on the path to recovery in the smartphone market.

If this report is anything to go by, 2012 looks like the year of Microsoft’s big comeback in the mobile sector.