It has a long, long way to go to rival app stores like those for Android and iOS (and I doubt it’ll ever rival their size, actually), but the Google Glass app landscape is finally starting to show signs of life.
There are hundreds of apps available for Glass, but the majority of them haven’t passed through Google’s review process and reached the official Glassware directory. A lot of those “unofficial” apps are being promoted by their developers and users in various online Glass-related forums and communities, and many are very popular even without Google’s formal approval and inclusion in the directory.
But things are slowly changing.
As of early June, there were less than 50 approved apps in the directory. Today, there are 73 — about a 50 percent increase in six weeks. As I said, that’s a pittance compared to what smartphone users are accustomed to, but it’s progress.
The recent Glass app growth also includes some big brands, as well as Glass versions of well-known smartphone apps:
RedLaser (from eBay)
The Guardian
Shazam
Star Chart
And at its I/O conference last month, Google promised a faster app review process going forward. So Explorers have reason to be optimistic that this recent growth is a sign of things to come. And developers can be optimistic that their apps will get reviewed faster than ever. (Our Marketing Land Glassware took about two months to be approved, for example.)
More apps and faster approvals are a win-win for everyone involved.
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