The "app gap" between Windows Phone and iOS-Android has been talked about for some time, including our own extensive editorial on the subject. This week, Nokia decided to go on the offensive and released a video that attempts to show consumers that their Lumia branded Windows Phone devices are not as far behind in the app race as many believe.
The video, posted on Nokia's Canadian YouTube channel, starts out by admitting that both iOS and Android have a lot of apps in their respective libraries, but then proceeds to imply that the vast majority of them are not worth your time to download and use. It points out there are over 1,000 iOS flashlight apps, which is certainly true.
It also says that the Windows Phone app store has been adding more selections in the past year and comments on how many of the major paid and free apps on iOS and Android are now available on Nokia's Lumia phones. For the few major apps that are not available for the OS, such as Google Maps, Nokia says that its own solutions like HERE Maps are a good alternative.
While we think that it's great that Nokia is trying to answer the critics of Windows Phone for its lack of apps, the video doesn't really take on the nagging issue of major apps that are released first for iOS and Android and then make their way to Windows Phone much later. That was certainly the case for Facebook Messenger, which was finally released for Windows Phone this week nearly two years after its debut on iOS and Android. The "app gap" debate will continue until major new apps are released on Windows Phone at the same time as its competition.
Source: Nokia Canada on YouTube via WPCentral
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