Google's Quarterly Android Report

Google's Android platform is gaining steam every day. Android phones continue to roll off the assembly lines of a dozen companies, and applications are added to the Android market each day. Here are some stats from Google's recent quarterly report.The Nexus One Is Profitable

This was perhaps the biggest stunner of the earnings call on April 15. Despite reports that Google has only sold tens of thousands of Nexus One handsets, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in no uncertain terms that the Nexus One is a profitable piece of its business. The Nexus One is available for $530 from Google if purchased without a contract. Those interested in signing a contract with T-Mobile, Sprint or AT&T can get the Nexus One for less than $200.

Not only is the Nexus One in the black, so is Google's entire Android business. Schmidt said, "It is a profitable business for us... we are driving the business to be a profitable business." That's good to know, as there had been little clarity in how Android was faring.

60,000 New Androids Per Day

According to Google, it is selling/activating some 60,000 handsets per day worldwide. To put that number into perspective, 60,000 activations per day would amount to about 22 million annual activations if the pace remains unchanged. According to the number of handsets prepared to hit the market, I doubt the pace will stay the same.

As a point of comparison, Apple has sold about 50 million iPhones since its debut in 2007. It is possible Android could catch up to the iPhone at some point.

38,000 Apps

Google also indicated that the Android Market has reached about 38,000 total applications. This is actually a bit less than some estimates, which had placed the total at closer to 42,000. Either way, the Android Market has nearly doubled since the beginning of 2010.

The Android Market still falls well short of the iPhone Apps Store, but it offers far greater diversity compared to BlackBerry Apps World, webOS Apps Catalog and Marketplace for Windows Mobile.

[Via Engadget]