Image: Taptu
Mobile search company Taptu released the fourth in a series of “State of the Touch Friendly Web” reports today. The reports track mobile web trends and showcase over 100 new Mobile Touch Web sites each month.
In the latest report (PDF) Taptu compares the size and growth rate of its Mobile Touch Web index with that of the iPhone and Android appstores. By Taptu’s count there are currently:
- 440,100 Mobile Touch Web Sites
- 185,000 apps in the iPhone App Store
- 35,947 apps in the Android Market
In terms of growth, based on numbers from the last four months:
- Mobile Touch Web sites are growing at an annual rate of 232%
- iPhone apps are growing at an annual rate of 144%
- Android apps are growing at an annual rate of 403%
Not only is the Touch Web growing faster than iPhone apps but it is also growing twice as fast as Taptu projected in January. Taptu now expects the number of Mobile Touch Web sites to reach 1.1 million (up from their previous prediction of 0.5 million) by the end of 2010.
Incidentally, the majority of the sites Taptu calls ” Touch Friendly” work just as well with the browsers on non-touch phones. Touch can definitely enhance the mobile browsing experience but it is not a requirement to use the modern mobile web.
Coincident with the release of the latest report, Taptu together with mSearchgroove‘s Peggy Ann Salz have put together a Mobile Touch Web “Virtual Roundtable” in which a number of industry experts were asked to share their thoughts on various aspects of the Touch Web. I’m proud to be a part of the Virtual Roundtable which is available now on Slideshare.