300 million apps downloaded by users of the #3 smart phone

Jim Goldman:

Apple now says that iPhone users have “downloaded over 300 million” applications from the App Store, from games to business programs. Why is that stunning? Consider that on the company’s conference call on October 21, Apple disclosed that the following day, Apple expected users to download their 200 millionth app. Which means, as of today, users have downloaded a staggering 100 million apps in just the past 6 weeks.

SAI:

Apple sold 4.7 million iPhones to end users in Q3, up 328% year-over-year, while Microsoft’s partners sold 4.1 million Windows Mobile phones to end users, down 3% year-over-year. (Symbian’s partners sold 18.2 million, down 12%; RIM sold 5.8 million, up 82%.)

Why is this so impressive? Because mobile phone companies — including Microsoft — have insisted for years that the mobile market is all about customization: Different phones for different folks. So Microsoft offers different phones from more than 50 gadget manufacturers and 100 mobile operators in more than 100 countries. Meanwhile, Apple beat them with one phone — two, we suppose, if you count their two storage capacities — in about 60 countries.

What was it again that Dancing MonkeyBoy said?

There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance,” said Ballmer. “It’s a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.”

Truth be told, Ballmer is right. His company’s software is on millions of phones and Microsoft makes a good dollar on every one of them. The problem is that there are not enough people who are choosing to buy them. Microsoft wins, but the firms using Microsoft’s software lose – as usual.

Right now we’re selling millions and millions and millions of phones a year, Apple is selling zero phones a year. In six months, they’ll have the most expensive phone by far ever in the marketplace and let’s see…what’s the expression? Let’s see how the competition goes.”

Whaddya think, Ballmer?