Google’s Android Market has delivered its 10 billionth application download, and is in the midst of celebrating with 10 days of special promotions during which selected apps will be offered for 10 cents.
The milestone comes just five months after the 6 billionth download, and Google estimates that current Android Market transactions total over 1 billion a month.
“This past weekend, thanks to Android users around the world, Android Market exceeded 10 billion app downloads, with a growth rate of one billion app downloads per month,” said Eric Chu, Android developer ecosystem director, in a blog post. “We can’t wait to see where this accelerating growth takes us in 2012.”
Android Market was launched in 2008 and is the official channel for obtaining applications for the Google platform. The service has been hailed as an open marketplace and an alternative to Apple’s App Store, but has drawn criticism for being susceptible to malware.
Google’s Android Market successes are slightly behind the pace set by Apple, which celebrated its 10 billionth App Store download in January.
This article was originally published on V3.