Attempting to avoid the obvious hackneyed cliches, we all know how GIGANTO-NORMOUS the iPhone App marketplace has become (that’s 65K apps and over 1 billion downloads to date for those stuck under something heavy the last few months). In fact, the growth has been so dramatic, we have arrived at a reality where every media company, content owner, (my 4-year old nephew), and most weekend developers have a great iPhone app idea simmering and are deftly plotting to pan for their share of gold in the Apple App Store.

However, the cold hard truth is, the App Store is not ‘easy money’. Nor is a mobile strategy based solely on iPhone apps.

While I disagree with the naysayers (likely Palm enthusiasts who still enjoy coding in Cobalt) who maintain the iPhone is an aberration, a gimmick, a temporary fluke – I do join them in counseling caution in hitching your emerging channel wagon to a single horse, or in this case, platform. While iPhone applications have reinvigorated a notoriously difficult channel for a number of companies who have been frustrated by past experiments in SMS, WAP sites, and even micro-payments (wallpapers, ringtones), it is important to remember that this ‘revolution’ is not limited to that shiny touch sensitive Apple case.

It’s happening elsewhere – and in places where first mover advantage will pay dividends far exceeding the dubious honour of becoming application #100,000 in the App Store (an award that could be handed out as early as next month if growth continues at its current pace). As recent research by Flurry has noted, Google’s Android platform has actually begun to exceed iPhone in terms of new application development growth. In fact, the number of new app projects started on the Android platform has doubled since January when compared to Apple projects:

With Palm Pre set to gain a toe-hold in the UK and Europe and emerging App Stores from Nokia, Samsung, and even Vodafone on the horizon – is now the time to begin planning cross-platform development of your app concepts – or even targeting another platform entirely? Well, yes and no.

While a few of those ‘App Stores’ may indeed prove successful (Android, Palm), most will find it is a case of too little, too late. That said, the Android Marketplace is for real and with the HTC Android handsets now capable of analyzing the video camera for more advanced augmented reality and location-aware apps, the Android Market may surpass even Apple in terms of application complexity and capabilities.

While the Apple App Store remains an ideal ‘first platform’ for experimentation and for gaining corprate buy-in for additional mobile programmes, it should be considered carefully alongside additional (or exclusive) rollouts to key emerging platforms such as Android, Blackberry and Palm.

And let’s not forget HTML 5 and the subsequent promise of widget and browser based applications every bit as funcitonal as native downloadable apps (all launchable within a handset’s mobile Web browser). With so many application and even browser-based options becoming available to the typical media and content owner, focusing solely on an inundated iPhone app marketplace may prove short-sighted.

As with every effective media channel – the opportunity in today’s mobile marketplace depends on diversity. The time has never been better to influence a truly cross-platform mobile strategy considering Mobile Web, widgets, and emerging application platforms alongside the odd app for our good friend the iPhone.

After all, when it comes to new technology, it is always better to be first in – just ask those developers of about 9 months ago who decided to build a Koi Pond app for that ‘new-fangled’ Apple App Store…