Google Play Store is growing fast, even faster than the iOS App Store and it will hit the one million apps landmark this June, according to a recent report.

Launched initially under the name 'Android Market' in December 2009, the Play Store accounted for 16,000 apps in the first year itself and it hit 100,000 apps in October 2010. Presently, the Play Store is estimated to have around 800,000 apps.

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According to a report by Sociable, the number of apps in the Google-controlled store will rise to 900,000 by April 2013, and will finally hit the 1,000,000 mark around June 2013. As the Play Store is growing faster than the iOS App Store, it is safe to assume that it will hit the one million app milestone before Apple.

Apple got a year-long head start on Google in the smartphone market. Apple launched the original iPhone in 2007 and the iOS App Store landed as an update to iTunes in July of 2008. The Play Store, on the other hand, came into being with the release of first Android-powered phone - HTC Dream - in the autumn of 2008. By the time Google opened the Play Store, known as Android Market before March 2012, Apple succeed in attracting mobile app developers towards its iOS platform.

Apple's iOS App Store has always led Google in the app race, but both the marketplaces recorded same number of apps in October 2012. Google ended up with more than 700,000 apps in its portfolio, while Apple also had roughly the same number of app in the App Store.

In the continuously growing smartphone market, worth over $219 billion, both the tech giants are racing to lure more software developers and customers. Apple may eventually lose to Google in the app race, but it is still far ahead of Google in terms of revenue.

However, a Distimo report released in late December said Google Play is growing twice as fast as App Store. It is just a matter of time before the gap narrows as Google is activating far more number of devices each day than Apple.

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