Android Will Become The Most Popular App Platform within Months

It looks like soon there will be little to choose between high end Android devices and the latest iPhones, not just in terms of the devices but also the ecosystems that support them. That's a good thing. It's hardly a death knell for Apple though. While Google has been catching up, my entire family has invested heavily in the Apple ecosystem because for the last 6 years it's been the best game in town and has served us well. I think a lot of people are in our position. The opportunity to steal Apple's market from under them has been lost, and Apple's famous customer satisfaction and retention statistics will work in their favour.

For me and I suspect for a lot of people in the iOS user base, parity for Android isn't enough. To switch, it has to be significantly better than what we already have. Yet there are still plenty of people coming into the smartphone and mobile computing world for whom Android will suite them fine. It looks like we're headed for a rare thing in computing - a market in which two platforms with distinct and complementary advantages and disadvantages, become roughly equally viable and pervasive. Imagine a 1990s where Apple had say 40% market share versus Windows, instead of 5%. What a great outcome for customers!

This is a related story from Gamasutra about a polling of developers and how they feel about Android now as far issues with Fragmentation and how much money they are making with the platform. The overlying consensus seems to be that Fragmentation isn't much of an issue anymore and iTunes makes more money but Play is catching up fast.

edit: broken link

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/192935/revisiting_andr...

I don't really understand how this is news?

It's basically just spitting out official figures that have been both shared by Google and Apple and making some observations without any narrative behind them?

Of course a more popular platform is going to have more application installs, but that's not important to anyone. What everyone (reporters, analysts, developers) should care about is the percentage of dollars spent, which is the market where consumers are willing to spend to most on mobile apps?

The BBC and BSkyB aren't credible sources for proof that Android is important to developers, they make free apps that rely on an existing business. What we should be talking about is platforms that will create healthy businesses.

These numbers are amazing, both platforms have done much to improve access to information

Now if someone could convince Google to turn it into a desktop solution. Just add keyboard, mouse and 30" monitor. Would asking for all of them to be wireless be asking too much? :-)

In the end we only need one device that's a little more flexible.

From a user perspective, I appreciate the choice that two distinct platforms with different goals offer.

Apple is clearly the "high end" platform: the devices are often considerably more expensive, and thus likely to be purchased by users with more disposable income, which implies they might be more willing/able to spend money on apps.

I personally prefer Android systems because phones/tablets are not worth much to me and I'm not willing to pay much. I bought my smartphone (no contract) for $50 (about the max I'd be willing to spend), and my tablet for $200 (also about the max I'd be willing to spend). If an app has a price-tag, I'm usually not interested. (Ads are ok, though).

So in that sense, I'm an ideal/average Android user. I didn't buy my devices to use apps, I bought them for cheap network connectivity on the go.

Apple users have a more app-centered model which leads to higher revenues. It's no surprise to me that app developers focus on Apple, and that's fine with me. My co-workers are always showing me the latest app they bought on their latest iPhone or iPad. When their equipment breaks, they expect (and indeed do) have it serviced. (If my equipment breaks, I'll throw it away and buy something similar; I have no expectation of service). They're the ideal Apple consumer.

How could the installed base for ios be 83 apps per device? Out of 8 or 10 mobile devices I doubt I've ever installed that many apps on any one of them. Would that be doing something like counting the same app multiple times if you wipe and reinstall? Seems like a hard metric to believe otherwise, that's what, ~165 apps per device for each one acting as an offset for the devices that don't get any 3rd party apps installed on them?

The fact that the BBC's new strategy is to deliver apps for both platforms at the same time really says something in my opinion. Developers are just now starting to decide that Android is worth it. Not a huge endorsement if you ask me. Android will probably see more installs in the long run but I don't know if they will really be quality.

I think this is a bad way to look at business.

What is the platform where your business makes money? That's the one to care about.

Is this the new "next year will be the year of the Linux desktop"?

And there is still no official Android PC dist.