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Comment by detst | Hacker News Reader

> The point is that if you look at the single device, no-one is even closed to Apple's number.

Really? Is that what matters? It seems to me the more significant thing would be the OS and not any one device, especially for HN-types that write apps and build sites for OSes/browsers and not a piece of hardware.

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The most significant thing is actually what kind of market there is for the apps/sites we are building. Market is not just about the number of users, it's about how much those users are buying. It's the reason that Mac developers can make more than their PC counterparts on many types of applications, because the Mac users buy more software. (at least I know I have since I switched).

My experience over the last few weeks spent using a new Nexus One as a former iPhone certainly supports this. Frankly, I'm stunned at the difference in quality and breadth of applications available in the App Store vs Android Market- compared to the App Store, the Market is like Softpedia or Tucows...

The install base of the iPhone still dwarfs Android, this is unit sales for one quarter. The iPhone has been out for a while longer than Android.

But if this quarter a sign of things to come, what platform do you want to be selling apps on long term?

Both?

I'd have to agree with slyn- both. I think it's most likely I'd be selling apps for Android in the long term, if only because I don't have to live by 3.3.1...

I wouldn't be surprised if a divide not unlike Mac vs PC software developed- traditionally, Mac users were a smaller group but more willing to pay for overall better software.

I just looked at the Android SDK for the first time the other day, and it seemed to indicate that you must write your apps in Java? That seems even more restrictive than 3.3.1 to me. Or did I miss something?

The problem is that doing great applications that sells well it's harder when you need to make them looks polished like iphone ones with such a big variety of devices. Soon your fridge will use Android, that doesn't mean I'd like to develop apps for it.

Also iPhone users have been "trained" for years with iTunes to buy digital content.

When the IPhone was selling more than Android, Apple defenders were saying that you should choose a platform that has a bigger market (i.e. IPhone).

Now that Android is outselling the IPhone, you should now choose based how many users actually buy digital content.

I don't see a distinction between "bigger market" and "how many users actually buy digital content". I think these are the same thing.

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