Windows Phone 7 hits 5,000 apps, iPhone app store 300,000, Android marketplace 200,000

Windows Phone 7 hit the 5,000-application mark in its app store by end of last December. Since the phone went on sale two months ago, Microsoft reported shipment figures of 1.5 million for the phone. Almost all of the most-downloaded apps on the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace are also available on Windows Phone 7 but with a few glaring omissions e.g. Angry Birds.

Microsoft's biggest advantage is its platform's familiarity. Windows Phone 7 apps are written in .NET, the same software framework for programs for Windows. .NET is incredibly popular, with hundreds of thousands of developers writing to it. Furthermore, converting iPhone or Android apps is not an uphill task.

Windows Phone 7 hits 5,000 app milestone [via]