GetJar is one of those companies that’s seen huge success, but revels in relative obscurity from mainstream media. That may change, as the company today announced that users have downloaded over 1 billion mobile apps from its so-called “supermarket of mobile apps.”
GetJar bills itself the only independent, multi-platform application store, and now is the second largest after Apple’s App Store. What sets it apart is that it doesn’t focus on one platform, device or OS, but rather a comprehensive repository of apps for any device. The company has said its most popular app downloads include Opera Mini, Facebook and eBuddy.
“We’re delighted to have reached this milestone in mobile app history,” said GetJar CEO Ilja Laurs, in prepared statement. “As a team, we’re dedicated to driving the app market forward through an open approach. We’ve supported over 60,000 apps from developers across all major platforms, including Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian and our open philosophy has been integral to our continued growth and the development within the industry. We’re looking forward to the next billion downloads.”
What’s interesting to me is the logic that Laurs upholds; when asked how his company can stay relevant with such competitors as Apple’s App Store and the Android Marketplace, Laurs responded by saying he “likens his store to a supermarket and the individual app stores are more like boutique delis. Sure, users will go to the boutique places for their specific needs but there will also be a huge audience that wants the variety and simplicity of a supermarket”
