As app stores proliferate with the rise of multiple mobile platforms, one question remains: Which one will you choose? (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

In the mobile world, tablets and smartphones are only as good as the apps they’ll run. Besides, what’s a tablet without apps? A fancy digital photo frame.

There’s no dearth of choice in hardware out there, and considering the pros and cons of a mobile platform’s application ecosystem is equally important to purchasing the device itself. From “open” to closed, sprawling to sparse, each platform’s parent company has a different philosophy when it comes to delivering apps.

Over the past few years, application markets have been popping up hand in hand with new hardware releases, all in varying states of maturity. Some, like Apple’s iOS devices, have flourished. Others, like Android devices, have seen tremendous growth and promise. And still others, like RIM’s BlackBerry products, have dwindled. But whatever the case is with the hardware, half the battle lies in figuring out how to beef up an app ecosystem properly, and how to catch on with consumers.

Why is an app store so important? In today’s app-obsessed age, a software ecosystem defines a gadget’s longevity as an investment. Customers get more value from their hardware if they have access to the latest and greatest apps. And programmers will make software for app stores that have a large audience and a viable future.

We took a look at some of the most prominent mobile-application ecosystems out there today, comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each. Before buying that next tablet or smartphone, we suggest you take a look.

Apple’s App Store

For better or for worse, Apple’s approach is clear: We’re in control.

Well known by now as the “walled garden,” Apple reviews every app submitted to its App Store. Developers are required to follow a seven-page list of strict guidelines in order for their app to be approved.

But the vetting process has its upside. Official reviews from Apple employees means an average of higher quality apps — more wheat, less chaff.

The Good:
Apple worked extensively with developers from the beginning, and it shows. As of late May, the App Store is host to more than 500,000 approved applications, with over 85,000 registered developers creating apps for the platform. The iPad alone has over 90,000 native applications available for download.

If your app is featured on the App Store’s front door, you’ve got a chance at striking it rich. Steve Demeter made $250,000 in just two months after releasing his application. The creators of MacHeist, another popular iOS game, have raked in millions.

The Bad:
With such a large ecosystem, it’s difficult not to get lost in Apple’s sea of apps. That’s hard on developers — who want to be seen, and want their apps downloaded — as well as customers who just want to find a cool app. Despite Apple’s careful curating and centralized location for apps, it’s nearly the same amount of work as finding an independently distributed web app.

Apple’s wait time to approve your app is also uncertain, ranging anywhere from two days to two weeks, according to independent app developer Ralph Gootee.

And of course, Apple maintains complete editorial censorship control over any and all apps submitted. So if your ideas are too racy, twisted or politically incorrect, you’re probably susceptible to Apple’s axe.

Android Market

Even though the gradual development of iTunes gave Apple’s App Store a 10-year head start, Google’s platform growth is a force to be reckoned with.

As the second biggest player in the mobile app space, Android has made staggering gains in the two-plus years it’s been publicly available. In May, Google announced that the platform surpassed 200,000 apps in the Android Market, and a recent tweet from Android chief Andy Rubin claims 500,000 new device activations every single day.

The Good
Google’s main draw rests on its heavily-marketed “open” approach. Although this mainly applies to the open source principles of the Android platform code itself, some of this openness ideal has spilled over into the Android Market. Unlike Apple, for instance, there’s absolutely no vetting process for developers who want to submit apps to the Market. As long as developers follow the relatively lax rules Android has in its submission agreement — no malware, no porn — many types of apps make it in to the store that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find with Apple. Upload the app and boom — it’s available for download almost instantaneously, no waiting period required.

Not to mention the other open aspect of Android apps: alternative markets. Unlike Apple, which only lets you download applications from its official App Store — unless your iPhone is jailbroken, of course — Android allows the existence of app markets outside of its own. By authorizing installations from “unknown sources,” you can install an app store provided by someone else, right on the phone. And through a process called sideloading, you can transfer apps you download from a website to your Android device either via USB, or by downloading the .APK file independently. Although you run the risk of installing malicious code, it’s far more choice than you’d otherwise get with an iOS device.

The Bad
Despite the burgeoning platform’s promise, developers still have problems making money on their apps. Eighty percent of all paid applications in the Android Market are downloaded less than 100 times, according to a study published by Destino in May.

And even with the flood of Android-powered tablets hitting the market this year, relatively few native tablet apps populate the Android Market. As of early June, only 232 apps created specifically for Honeycomb are available for download through Google’s store.

The Android Market web-based presence isn’t as mature as that of its main competitor. Unlike Apple, which has allowed access to its App Store via desktop or laptop since 2007, Android launched its web store in February of this year.

Google is still working out the web store kinks, too. In May, Android drastically revamped the Market’s front page, highlighting top paid, free, grossing and trending app downloads, among other categories. By contrast, Apple has had much more time to mature its landing page with a three-year head start.

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