Few years back, any phone which could offer a bit more than basic calling was dubbed a ‘smartphone.’ In fact, phones which offered calendar and emailing facilities were possibly the ‘smartest’ of the era.
Thanks primarily to Apple and Google, the quintessential smartphone of today is as much defined by its built-in features as its ability to play with ‘apps’. The massive apps explosion (thanks to the Android -Apple face-off) has sparked off perhaps the most intensely debated topic of our times—‘Who has the best apps, Android or iOS?’
Statistics reveal that the App Store is a much bigger apps repository than the Android Market. Going by the latest figures, Apple Store holds 459,589 apps to Android’s 319,161. But it’s the other way round when it comes to apps downloads. With 44% share vs. Apple’s 31%, Android users are now downloading more mobile apps than iPhone and iPad users combined. So in a sense both platforms are enjoying their fair share of the pie.
Despite Android’s greater market share (downloads), iOS is still known to pique greater developer interest. Out of every ten apps created in the first quarter of 2012, seven were iPhone apps, with the remaining based on Android. (Source CNET)
Latest ComScore analysis also lends some credibility to the perception that iPhone apps are more of a developers’ play field than Android. The study shows that iOS generates twice as many apps as Android despite the latter commanding 48% percent of the smartphone market compared with Apple’s 31.4 percent.
App authors too apparently make more money out of iOS compared to Android, with iOS reportedly delivering four times the revenue per developer (in comparison to Android), largely because iPhone users buy apps more readily than Android.
It’s understandable then that developers and owners foresee a slight advantage in iPhone apps development. After all, developing apps is a business, and businesses seek markets with maximum monetization potentials and lower investment costs.
End users on the other hand find Android’s versatility and free nature highly appealing, which is well-reflected in its expanding market share. For certain demographic groups which are less likely to spend on apps, Android has always been the best place to be.
Having the majority of downloaders is a big draw in itself, and it is drawing companies like Gameloft port more of their A-grade titles to Android. But user base isn’t always the final word in apps development. Android’s much debated hardware and software fragmentation takes much of the fun away for developers. Developers have to account for multiple screen resolutions, OS versions, CPU capacities, before finally going ahead and making a game touchscreen or keyboard-friendly, or both.
On the flip side, since Android allows greater access to different hardware than the iOS, Android developers get to challenge the limits a lot more than iPhone developers. Also, Android is known to go easy on apps approval as compared to the App store, where every App is subject to scrupulous scanning, often resulting in tardy review processes.
But for the right app, the possibilities of striking gold are huge on both Android and iPhone. Both have massive audiences, and offer great resources for development and marketing. In the end, its more a matter of identifying where your app audience lies, and the commercial viability of the app that ultimately decides if your app will be one amongst hot sellers like Plants Vs Zombies, Pocket God, Mine Craft, Cut the rope, and who knows, even Angry Birds!