The year 2014 was a watershed moment for technology buffs and mobile application enthusiasts. From Apple’s long-awaited surrender to the allure of the big screen, while simultaneously teasing us with the compact screen of the soon-to-be-launched Apple Watch, the tech titans kept us on the edge of our seats. Surprisingly, Apple didn’t play it safe and startled us with Swift, presenting developers with a new avenue to explore.
Rival Google was not to be left behind in the race for ambition. The tech behemoth revealed its futuristic concept for the user interface, aptly called Material Design. In a swift catch-up with its competitors, Google also addressed the demand for wearable technology, rivalling Apple’s offering head-on. To commemorate this significant period of innovation, we’ll be diving deep into the growth trajectory of the App Store during 2014.
As part of this comprehensive dissection, we will scrutinize the expansion of different app stores throughout the year. However, before delving into a detailed review, it becomes necessary to first establish a baseline. It helps us understand the vastness and reach of the app stores and the methodical strategy that enabled them to carve their unique niches.
In the screenshot above, we observe the revolution in the number of developers publishing apps through various stores. It feels somewhat akin to a déjà vu moment. The Google Play developer community, in 2014, embraced exponential growth, exceeding Apple for the third consecutive year. Astoundingly, Google Play was delivering applications from nearly 400k diverse developers. This figure sees a considerable surge from our last year’s mid-year report on app developers indicating that the Play Store witnessed a rapid uptick in the last two quarters of 2014.
All things considered, we can conclude that 2014 was a tremendous year in the app development industry, with tech giants setting the stage for digital revolutions beyond our wildest imaginations. Continue exploring the full impact of these industry changes in our detailed report [here](http://blog.appfigures.com/app-stores-growth-accelerates-in-2014/).
Note: *This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.*
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Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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