Business owners keen to undertake app development for their company’s needs first need to understand the difference between a business app and an enterprise app. The latter deals with enterprise needs i.e. concerning the business’ operations.
These include the most common – email, contact management etc. to a variety of custom mobile apps for unique business needs, based on the employee workflow and requirements.
On the other hand are custom mobile apps for business, relevant for promoting your business. This includes reaching out to fans, broadcasting information and creating engagement. If you’re choosing between having an app for this purpose made for the iPhone or Android, Software Developers India SDI tells you important points you need to keep in the mind:
How rich is the audience?
While it is no surprise in saying that Android has undertaken “premiumisation” through a range of expensive phones via Samsung and HTC, the USP of Android mobile apps is largely the affordable feature-phone to smartphone segment that it literally owns.
In comparison, the iPhone is an elite choice and a status symbol, because Android has already matched, and exceeded a lot of the iPhone’s plus points. A premium audience (for example, Burberry fans), would expect an exclusive iPhone app from iPhone app developers, whereas the Kindle, an affordable ebook reading platform (and app) is relevant to both the iPhone and Android.
Screen size
With the iPhone, you have two options – the iPhone 5, and previous versions. If you’re looking for large screen space – perhaps an extremely visual app – you need the large screen real estate that Samsung, and other phablets (phone-cum-tablets) provide. Additionally, you don’t need a different interface for running the same app on a tablet.
Unless there are configuration requirement, an app that runs on your Android phone will run fine on the tablet. This is unlike the iOS, where some custom mobile apps are exclusively designed for the iPhone.
What are your marketing goals?
Again, if surveys or general consensus shows that much of your brand’s “crowd” uses an iPhone, then that’s the audience you have to cater to. On the other hand, if you are looking to cast a wider net, and are initially focused on just gaining app download numbers and reach, then it’s Android you’re looking.
Android is also great if you want to quickly roll out an app and get it live. Unlike the Apple App Store, there is less control and approval to worry about. On the other hand, the thousands of Android devices (and more are in the pipeline as you read this) mean that there might be some technical requirements due to which it might not render properly. This is in contrast with the iPhone, where there’s only a small number of iPhones to test for (and only the most recent are actually viable for the current market)
About the Author
Heather Stugen is Business Developers of Mobile & Web Apps firm Software Developers Inc., CA. Reach her at team@sdi.la .