Android Market hits 20,000 apps, but can developers make money?

Ok, I’m confused. We all know what a great OS Android is. I think it’s fairly certain that as readers of sites likes this that you have an inquiring mind about what’s going on in the world of Android and what possibilities it holds as a fledgling OS, me too. But (and this is a pretty big ‘BUT’, one that would concern me if I was an app developer)… how do I make money?

Android Market App stats

The latest figures from AndroidLib show the growth in apps available to download from the market. It’s fantastic to see how many apps now available (left).AndroidLib is now reporting that there are over 20,000 applications now available on the Android Market. Ok, so it’s not as many as the iPhone’s 100,000, but it’s getting there… fast. However, look at the amount of paid apps compared to the amount of free apps on the Android Market (lower left).

I’d be keen to hear if anyone has had any issues with downloading paid apps from the market. More importantly, I’d like to know if they had a pleasurable experience in doing so. I for one haven’t. Now it may be a carrier issue, authorization issue, or whatever. However much I’d like to, paying for an app via Google Checkout in not an option, and that’s my point. I’d love to be able to support the developers but I just don’t think Google have got it right just yet. There are numerous threads on the Google support forums (which are being added to every day) with customers, that’s right Google, ‘customers’, unhappy at either the level of support from Google regards their issues buying apps or just at the frustration at not being able to at all.

So, are the market statistics of paid apps vs free apps a reflection on the type of people developing for the OS? Do developers simply want to be a part creating something for the new OS out of the love for it or are they in it for the money? Right now, if it’s the latter, I’d be a confused as to whether it’s even possible.