Apple Inc. (AAPL), Google Inc (GOOG) Top Apps Market: Fight For Third Is On

The fact that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) are at the top of the apps market is no surprise. After all, these two companies, with their iOS and Android operating systems, hold a large portion of the smartphone market pie.

While the fight for the top spot, between Apple and Google, is always going to be hotly contested, there is another question that we need to address: which company is going to pull ahead and become the “third ecosystem in mobility.

At this point, there are a couple of contenders. Most notably, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry.

Canalys, an independent analyst firm, recently took a closer look at the market and what the next tier of companies needs to do in order to play with the big dogs, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), at the top.

These numbers will give you a clear idea of where each company stands:

“Of the top 50 free and top 50 paid apps featured in the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store and Google Play in the United States, based on their aggregated rankings over the first 20 days of May 2013, just 34% feature in either the Windows Phone store or BlackBerry World (as of 21 May 2013). The Windows Phone store contained 16 of the top 50 free Apple App Store applications, and 14 of the top 50 paid.

It contained 22 of the top 50 free Google Play store’s applications, and 13 of the top 50 paid. In comparison, BlackBerry World contained BB10 versions of five of the top 50 free Apple App Store applications, and nine of the top 50 paid. It contained 11 of the top 50 free Google Play store applications, and 11 of the top 50 paid. In each case the functionality of a small number of additional apps is supported by one or more unofficial third-party offerings.”

Image above: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS

The report goes on to make a good point: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry would be best suited to focus more on app quality and less on quantity.

This is something that both companies have struggled with in the past, BlackBerry in particular, as it continues to tout large numbers on its app store.

What can we take from this data?