Google Play Catching iOS App Store in Download Volume, but iOS Still Dominating Revenue

[barkomatic]

Problems exist for iOS as well.

The Android Central article does show that you have to agree to those terms before hand, so the user has the choice not to install.

Much of what I read about iOS privacy concerns shows that users download the apps, and never get a warning, thinking that Apple did the proper gatekeeping on their end.

iOS certainly isn't perfect from a privacy standpoint either but most of the articles you provided are about tracking that Apple does -- and how to disable it if you want. There is also an issue with uploading your phone contacts which can also be disabled. I don't think you can reasonably compare these issues with what Android can do with your information.

I'm not aware of any apps on iOS that can send text messages on your behalf, use your camera without your permission, etc etc.

Yes, you can choice not to download the Android apps that use this info--but many of them are *core* apps that most people would want--like youtube.

 

[Digital Skunk]

problem with google play is, you have tons of apps, but most of them aren't "polished" enough, so you either don't want or intend to purchase them (or full version, if they have it) and you constantly needs to download more apps, to do the work you had thought the app you just downloaded will do :|

I think that shows that some users just get apps because they look good, as opposed to them being more useful.

For example: I can't find out how to switch between Google Drive accounts on my iPad. I can do it on my Note II, on a Note 10.1, on a Nexus, and many other Android handsets, but I am locked into just one account on my iPad.

It doesn't matter to me how "good" the app looks if it doesn't do what I need it to do.

iOS certainly isn't perfect from a privacy standpoint either but most of the articles you provided are about tracking that Apple does -- and how to disable it if you want. There is also an issue with uploading your phone contacts which can also be disabled. I don't think you can reasonably compare these issues with what Android can do with your information.

Look deeper. Besides, having to search to find out how to turn it off is just as bad if not worse than knowing it exists before you download it. Also, many of the issues on preceding pages deals with Apple privacy issues, and not 3rd party devs.

 

[LagunaSol]

Volume is easy when you give stuff away for free (applies to both the Android OS and Android applications apparently).

Profitability: that's the hard part.

 

[Rossatron]

Do you know this by personal experience or you talking out of your behind?

Of every app that I have on both platforms, they are identical on Android as they are on iOS. Stop the BS.

personal experience. i had an android device before i switched to iPhone, and the gap between platform apps' versions is very noticeable.

I think that shows that some users just get apps because they look good, as opposed to them being more useful.

For example: I can't find out how to switch between Google Drive accounts on my iPad. I can do it on my Note II, on a Note 10.1, on a Nexus, and many other Android handsets, but I am locked into just one account on my iPad.

It doesn't matter to me how "good" the app looks if it doesn't do what I need it to do.

first off, i didn't specifically mention the app's looks. i just said that most of them lack in polish. meaning, its not suitable for your device; not suitable for your screen; glitching and so forth. that does not mean that iOS apps are perfect, but they do tend to be better than what you find on google play.
furthermore, i have noticed that apps that have version for both platform, are 99#100 cases better on iOS - you could tell that more effort was put into the iOS version.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Its new or old versions?

Both. Haha.

 

[PracticalMac]

Another early sign that Apple has lost its edge.

Smartphones, Tablets, and Apps world is no longer a luxury item, prices are falling as supply and selection increases.
Features only go so far.

Apple needs to lower prices on its products to keep the customer eyes on iOS. Or offer other discounts.


$80 memory upgrades instead of $100 per?
$100 for cellular upgrade instead of $130?
$0.69 for some songs (not all)
Little things like that.

 

[Digital Skunk]

personal experience. i had an android device before i switched to iPhone, and the gap between platform apps' versions is very noticeable.

Maybe just with your apps.

There are only a few apps on my iPad that have a more polished look than their Android counterparts. Even still, most of the Android counterparts work the same or better than they do in iOS.

The real competition rests with those apps that aren't platform agnostic. Anything cross platform is moot.

 

[appSavy]

as a developer for both, iOS is still years ahead in terms of making money.. Its still possible with Google Play, but the exposure is so poor..

I see the same result even worse more like 95/5 for iOS Store to Google Play. I am about to release the APK for the Amazon App Store. Does anyone have input on what I will see in terms of iOS to Amazon App Store?

 

[SprSynJn]

No matter how big Google's OS gets I still don't want an Android phone.

What he said. And didn't Google Play catch up to the App Store years ago? Why is this news now?

 

[Digital Skunk]

What he said. And didn't Google Play catch up to the App Store years ago? Why is this news now?

It caught up in number of apps, but not in app revenue.

 

[jclardy]

I have an iPhone, iPad, Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 (Test devices for mobile development work.)

I received $25 of Google Play credit after buying the Nexus 7. I still have $15 left a year later. On iOS I have probably spent hundreds of dollars over the years.

I guess the main reason why is that I tend to pay for well designed apps, such as Tweetbot, Gas Cubby (Which might be free now), and Day One - there are others on my phone but these are ones that I use often.

When I used my Nexus 4 for a week...I paid for Tasker which is a cool functional app for sure, and Echofon pro which is OK, but I don't feel it lives up to iOS twitter clients.

I think a lot could be due to a couple of reasons:
1. The play store itself - it is horrible. To even see an app you have to tap on play store, tap apps, swipe to categories, tap a category and then you finally have a listing of apps. On iOS you tap App Store and already have a listing of the latest apps. Tap categories and a category and you are there. Only 1 step less, but on the play store you don't even see more than 1 major app feature until the 3rd step. On iOS it is immediate.

I have heard there is an update coming, but my Nexus 4 isn't showing it yet.

2. External Sites - with iOS you have MacRumors, TUAW, TouchArcade, MacUpdate and many others that have a large following and community. With Android there really isn't the same source to promote high quality apps, at least that I could find.

3. Search - it has improved, but search is still terribly bad for apps. On both iOS and Android. It is more difficult as you can't really index the content of an app, but there has to be a better way...

 

[ChrisTX]

Nothing worse than having ads in your app, but having no say because there's no paid version only a free one. That's one thing I miss about iOS. I'll gladly pay for an app if it is ad free, but with Android so many of the apps I want are free, ad laden ones! Maybe I'm in the minority, and don't mind rewarding a developers hard work with a $.99 price tag. We pay $200+ for a smartphone but don't want to pay $.99 for an app. It blows my mind really!

 

[SprSynJn]

It caught up in number of apps, but not in app revenue.

The uncountable amount of articles claiming that developers make beans on their apps released on Google Play jive with this article then.

 

[Keane16]

This article just proves the shift to Android devices is starting to have a major impact on Apple.

Apples stock is down $20 or 4.5% today. That's in incredible plunge.

Tim Cook still has done nothing to change the investors/analysts view on Apple and it will continue to slide until it's addressed.

And why should he? Apple's product lineup is the strongest they've ever had. The one blip is the Mac Pro. But the small percentage of people that need that kind of grunt for professional reasons have plenty of alternatives (and the small volumes the Mac Pro sells in would have next to no bearing on the bottom line of Apple).

Do you really expect Tim Cook to force out a half finished iOS 7 tomorrow to stop the share price sliding? This is a multi-billion dollar industry. Strategic decisions are made and carried out over months and years. Not off the cuff to the appease Wall Street.

- I switch from Windows to Mac 6 years ago (to a 24" iMac that I still use).
- I switched from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Palm phones to the iPhone 5 years ago. (I've owned every model since)
- I got my first tablet - an iPad 2 - 2 years ago (and upgraded to gen 3 last year, which I still use).

I couldn't be happier. Is it perfect? No. But neither is the competition. There are trade offs on all the platforms.

I own Apple shares - am I mad? No. Just patient. If I felt there was no future in Apple I'd sell up. But they've risen so much over the last few years since I bought them that they could halve in value tomorrow and I'd be close to where I bought at.

It always bemuses me that people are so angry at AAPLs price. Surely you spread your risk over a number investments. Relying on Apple is foolish.

 

[Oletros]

Is there any report about the ad revenue?

And, by the way, in which countries can you buy apps in the Apple App Store and in which cna you buy apps in the Play Store?

 

[KdParker]

I love my android phone but the majority of apps look terrible which makes me not in the mood to pay for them. Even apps that are the same title between android and iOS the iOS version always looks better. Part of it is the SDK I am sure but also these amoled displays don't display whites as well as LCD and so apps that are heavily white don't look nearly as clean

That is partially becasue alot of apps the are on both platforms started out as apps in IOS, then were coverted to run on Android.

The SDKs play a part , but if you are a good developer you shouldn't make that much of a difference and you should be able to get the same 'look and feel' on all platforms.

 

[bbeagle]

Use both. Both have their pros and cons, but at this point I barely notice a different in terms of content.

I once tried that, dating both a blonde and a redhead at the same time. Both had their pros and cons, but they wouldn't work together.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I have an iPhone, iPad, Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 (Test devices for mobile development work.)

I received $25 of Google Play credit after buying the Nexus 7. I still have $15 left a year later. On iOS I have probably spent hundreds of dollars over the years.

I guess the main reason why is that I tend to pay for well designed apps, such as Tweetbot, Gas Cubby (Which might be free now), and Day One - there are others on my phone but these are ones that I use often.

When I used my Nexus 4 for a week...I paid for Tasker which is a cool functional app for sure, and Echofon pro which is OK, but I don't feel it lives up to iOS twitter clients.

I think a lot could be due to a couple of reasons:
1. The play store itself - it is horrible. To even see an app you have to tap on play store, tap apps, swipe to categories, tap a category and then you finally have a listing of apps. On iOS you tap App Store and already have a listing of the latest apps. Tap categories and a category and you are there. Only 1 step less, but on the play store you don't even see more than 1 major app feature until the 3rd step. On iOS it is immediate.

I have heard there is an update coming, but my Nexus 4 isn't showing it yet. [MOOT]

2. External Sites - with iOS you have MacRumors, TUAW, TouchArcade, MacUpdate and many others that have a large following and community. With Android there really isn't the same source to promote high quality apps, at least that I could find. [MOOT]

3. Search - it has improved, but search is still terribly bad for apps. On both iOS and Android. It is more difficult as you can't really index the content of an app, but there has to be a better way...[I AGREE and it makes sense]

Now, I don't agree with anything you say previously because it's all opinionated and taken from your own perpective. But the last one I do agree with in that there's no way for a user to really get a feel for the functionality of an app on either side of the pond.

I have only paid for two apps on the iOS side and one on the Android side. Again mainly because on Android, I get most of my functionality built right in, or from free services that are platform agnostic.

The one App I paid for on Android was iSynr. and it looked TERRIBLE in the pics. But after doing a lot of reviewing and soul searching I purchased it and love it. The only thing I needed that Android didn't have was a way to sync my iTunes music library, play counts and all. It was a $5 add on.

On the iOS side, it's still all free apps that I can get on Android as well, save for Things by Cultured Code, and Billings from Marketcircle. There are alternatives on the Android side, but they cost and they look terrible, and there aren't many reviews for them since they are very niche products.

Also, I paid WAY TOO MUCH for them on the iOS side, so I will just use my iPad for those two apps primarily to get my money's worth out of them.

All that to say, yes, the search criteria could use an overhaul. If I search CRM or Corporate Responsibility Manager I don't want to see to-do list apps. And I'd love to see a viable "trial" option for apps.

 

[HenryDJP]

It makes perfect sense that "big" has no effect upon your decision. Did you choose the iPhone back when its sales numbers were "big", because they were "big"?

Yes indeed, the choices of other people should have no impact upon your decision. If it did, one would reject the Mac because almost nobody ever buys them. But clearly, at least several percent of computer buyers get a Mac, despite its lack of popularity.

You sound like you're taking my post very personally in a very sensitive way. Do you have some sort of business employ or financial relationship with Google? It's my decision and that's how I feel and I don't need to explain to you why I chose an iPhone. Funny though, I didn't even mention I chose an iPhone and you came down on the Mac very hard. Wonder wonder?

 

[slippyr4]

Quite a number of the most popular apps are free (or maybe ad supported) on Android, and for-money on iOS. If a user wants a specific app, then they don't have a choice to pay for it on Android, and that distorts the stats somewhat.

Take "Angry Birds Star Wars" for example - 99c in the App Store, Free on the play store. A million downloads on iOS is nearly a million dollars of revenue - but a million downloads for Android is still zero.

Yet, if Rovio had chosen to charge 99c for it on Android, then without doubt, it would have gotten a bunch of downloads and created a bunch of revenue.

So these stats don't quite tell the picture you may think they do.

 

[Keane16]

Another early sign that Apple has lost its edge.

Smartphones, Tablets, and Apps world is no longer a luxury item, prices are falling as supply and selection increases.
Features only go so far.

Apple needs to lower prices on its products to keep the customer eyes on iOS. Or offer other discounts.


$80 memory upgrades instead of $100 per?
$100 for cellular upgrade instead of $130?
$0.69 for some songs (not all)
Little things like that.

People said this years ago.

"MP3 players and laptops are no longer a luxury items, prices are falling as supply and selection increases.
Features only go so far."

Apple did just fine.

Android/Chrome works for some people. Windows works for others. And iOS/OS X works for me. Others are happy to have a mixed bag.

Each to their own, just use what works for you. If Apple is too pricey, buy something else. I'm happy to pay more for what I get in return in terms of build quality, stability and service (via Apple stores).

 

[Digital Skunk]

The uncountable amount of articles claiming that developers make beans on their apps released on Google Play jive with this article then.

Yes! And while I try to add perspective to what would otherwise be a boring, one-sided, "iOS RULZZZZ!!!!" fest . . . the overwhelming fact is that not to many devs are making money on the Google Play Store.

That is partially becasue alot of apps the are on both platforms started out as apps in IOS, then were coverted to run on Android.

The SDKs play a part , but if you are a good developer you shouldn't make that much of a difference and you should be able to get the same 'look and feel' on all platforms.

Agreed! While I don't even want to dream of coding for mobile devices (albeit it Adobe CS6 gives us media pros many options for it) I'd hate to have to deal with Android's fragmentation.

If I did have to code for both platforms, I'd most def get the iOS version out first, then choose the top four Android handsets and code for them, leaving the rest out to pasture.

You sound like you're taking my post very personally in a very sensitive way. Do you have some sort of business employ or financial relationship with Google? It's my decision and that's how I feel and I don't need to explain to you why I chose an iPhone. Funny though, I didn't even mention I chose an iPhone and you came down on the Mac very hard. Wonder wonder?

He's just mentioning that how "big" a company gets should have no merit on a buyer's decision making process. He's more agreeing with you than not.

He used the Mac as an example.

 

[Oletros]

If I did have to code for both platforms, I'd most def get the iOS version out first, then choose the top four Android handsets and code for them, leaving the rest out to pasture.

http://getpocket.com/blog/2012/06/p...eally-terrifying-and-in-fact-quite-enjoyable/

http://blog.shiftyjelly.com/2013/02/20/why-android-first/

Android fragmentation is not such a mess like some wants to make

 

[HenryDJP]

He's just mentioning that how "big" a company gets should have no merit on a buyer's decision making process. He's more agreeing with you than not.

He used the Mac as an example.

Really? Okay. I didn't see it that way. Part of his post came across as if he's annoyed of the iPhone's success and that many more people choose it "because it's big now". He also made the Mac seem like it's a lost cause and he also said hardly anybody buys them. Completely untrue. That might be the biggest untruth on MR I've seen in quite a while. Today I can barely go to a cafe without seeing it dominated by Macbooks. I used to see Dell and HP lappies 24/7, I don't see them much anymore. I also took a look at his post history, his posts show quite a bit of Apple hatred. Just sayin'.

 

[iGrip]

You sound like you're taking my post very personally in a very sensitive way. Do you have some sort of business employ or financial relationship with Google? It's my decision and that's how I feel and I don't need to explain to you why I chose an iPhone. Funny though, I didn't even mention I chose an iPhone and you came down on the Mac very hard. Wonder wonder?

I agree with you that even though pretty much nobody buys a Mac, that should have no impact on your decision. I am not asking for any explanation.

Same with the iPhone. Just because most people prefer Android phones is no reason for you to reject the iPhone. If there's something about it that you prefer, its relative unpopularity shouldn't matter to you.