Google I/O: Web or Native Apps? Google Has it Both Ways

The two keynotes at the Google I/O developers’ conference presented two divergent approaches to Google’s future products – and users inevitably must choose between them. Wednesday’s keynote emphasized native Android apps downloaded from Google Play. Thursday’s focused on Google’s browser, Chrome, with its own store for Web apps. Will the company’s two-prong strategy pull it apart?

Android and Chrome are Neck-and-Neck

Google shared the latest usage numbers for Android on Wednesday. There are more than 400 million active Android devices, and the Google Play app store has over 600,000 apps available, racking up 20 billion downloads. That’s a major platform, especially considering that there are multiple app stores for Android, including one offered by Amazon. That means the customer base is even bigger than the one for Google Play.

Thursday’s keynote revealed the numbers for Chrome. There are 310 million active Chrome users, making it the most popular browser in the world, said Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior vice president in charge of Chrome. The Chrome Web Store offers Web applications that will sync Chrome on all devices, and Google announced that Web Store apps will support in-app purchases, of which Google will take a 5% cut. That’s tempting for developers, and it’s convenient for users, since Chrome is available across platforms (albeit