InformationWeek reports that Microsoft has reached the 100,000 apps mark much faster than its iOS and Android equivalents

Apple took more than a year to hit the century mark, and Android took even longer. But Microsoft allowed both platforms a big head start in the mobile space, and both capitalized. The iOS ecosystem boasts more than 850,000 apps, including more than 350,000 optimized for the iPad, and the Android universe is comparably huge. Windows 8 arguably has the most software leverage of any platform, with the ability to run not only the Modern titles but also legacy x86 applications. But that capability has produced only incremental improvements in market share.

Microsoft's achievement must be measured according to a new context, in other words. The world-beating standards to which prior Windows releases were held are much more difficult to sustain. There are too many options, and BYOD has given consumers much influence. The question isn't merely if Microsoft can catch up in the apps race but also how the company will respond to the millions of users who can't be tempted from competing ecosystems.

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