iOS Continues to Hold Significant Lead over Android in Developer Interest

[Digital Skunk]

From that same chart I could say developer interest in iOS is on the decline

That's what I say too. That seems to be the time that I started to get really bored with what iOS was offering me as an end user. The apps not withstanding, iOS has just become a dated and at times annoying OS to use.

i.e. Leaving the application to change a minor setting is just plain stupid.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Just be mindful of what the stats actually tell.

Fact: MR mentioned on what the stats is based on.

Fact: the stats are not only based on Flury's data they only show how much Flury is used by developers on both platforms. This tells absolutely nothing about the popularity of the two platforms unless some additional data/analysis is provided. Something like "100% of developers on both platforms use Flury". Then we would know that there is 100% correlation with platform popularity. Or, "Flury is used by 90% of iOS developers and 5% of Android developers". In which case, looking at the presented chart, we would conclude that Android is a much more popular platform than iOS.

Fact: You portray your facts as if this is skewed but you have no facts to base it on. Part of the article states that fragmentation is even reported from Google's statistics which hints toward conclusion many people come to here: Fragmentation might be the issue. You can't argue with that, can you? What if you are wrong and 5% of iOS devs and 90% Android devs use it? It's a fictive argument unless you know something we don't.

 

[G5isAlive]

I do however still find that Android income is MUCH higher than iOS income.

Sincere request for you to elaborate more on this. Assuming your facts are right, what do you think the reason is?

 

[Mad-B-One]

i.e. Leaving the application to change a minor setting is just plain stupid.

Can you elaborate? I thought iOS 4 brought multitasking and has the "minor settings" like screen lock, play, volume (and iPad brightness) on doubleclick and since iOS 5 notifications on the top-down. So, which "minor settings" you have to use on a daily basis can you not do without leaving your app (which by the way is not "left", just suspended if you switch apps)?

 

[AustinIllini]

Not a shocker..iOS is pretty rock solid

Agreed. Which leads me to wonder why so many people on this board want to go and change it so badly?

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Windows was never fragmented to the extent android is now.

Windows was heavily fragmented for a while. Every company had their own add-ons. I will give you that Windows fragmentation was easily addressable for the most part.

 

[needfx]

as expected

 

[Digital Skunk]

Can you elaborate? I thought iOS 4 brought multitasking and has the "minor settings" like screen lock, play, volume (and iPad brightness) on doubleclick and since iOS 5 notifications on the top-down. So, which "minor settings" you have to use on a daily basis can you not do without leaving your app (which by the way is not "left", just suspended if you switch apps)?

Any setting, like if I want to change my signature in my mail app, or change with app gets space in the notifications bar. There are also a host of Safari settings you can't change in Safari.

I never mentioned anything about using it on a daily basis, so that part is irrelevant. Suspended or not, the fact that I am still "leaving" the application and going into the settings app to make changes.

 

[Seiga]

Misconception about Android

I think the majority of folks in here have a common misconception about Android. So let's start from the beginning.

Android is open source based, which means it has a lot of freedom to work with than with the iOS devices. But freedom comes with a price. There in lies the issue with Android. Android is very much carrier based with one exception and that's the Nexus line (which includes the Motorola Xoom). The Nexus line is considered Google branded and thus is Google driven. The Nexus line is supported by the Android Open Source Project with the exception of the CDMA line. What this enables developers to do is essentially develop their own custom based ROM to enhance the android experience.

I own both an iPhone and a Galaxy Nexus. The beauty that I love about the Galaxy Nexus is that I am able to install a custom rom to the settings of my choosing. It feels like my phone. With the iPhone i'm unable to do that. However, with the iPhone i don't experience as much application crashes as I do with the Nexus.

Lets take a look at hardware. Android is so varied it is stupid crazy. So many devices, so many features, so much bloatware (except the Nexus). You don't get that with iOS. It is fixed and driven by apple. But there in lies the problem with iOS... You don't have options. Yeah, I could Jailbreak the phone, but it doesn't come nearly as good as rooting my Android. Which is also a common misconception. Rooting and Jailbreaking are not the same things. Rooting is gaining root access level of your Android device. You don't get full root access with Jailbreaking. You get some rudimentary access that allows for custom app store access.

To say that no one wants to develop for the Android platform is just plain dumb. 9 million units of the Samsung Galaxy S3 have been put up for pre-order. That's the largest pre-order for a smart phone ever. They're launching with every U.S. carrier and they already launched in Europe breaking records. I fully expect the new iPhone to take over that number no doubt, but that's still quite the major feat for Android.

Say what you will about both iOS and Android, both have pros and cons, and both are here to stay for a very long time. But best of all, consumer choices is the #1 thing you can get out of all this.

 

[faroZ06]

They're desperate, so they make their language Java to get more people, but Java isn't good.

 

[Renzatic]

Windows was heavily fragmented for a while. Every company had their own add-ons. I will give you that Windows fragmentation was easily addressable for the most part.

Eh, not really. The biggest thing that keeps Android back is that you can't just update your phone to the latest version whenever you want. It's limited to what hardware you have, based upon the whims of the manufacturers and carriers who would rather you buy a new phone rather than spend the time updating the software.

Windows? You could upgrade a Pentium 4 to Win8 if you wanted to. The only thing that would hold someone back from doing so would be software incompatibilities. This isn't fragmentation in the Android sense.

Android and more so Google is about FREE. No one buys anything Google makes (Android, Gmail, maps, etc) this also extends to the apps, it's like a culture of free. If I have no hope of selling my app then I'm not going to make apps for Android. For me it's that simple.

As opposed to the culture iOS and the App Store has fostered, where an app that costs $5 or more is considered horribly overpriced.

They're desperate, so they make their language Java, which stinks.

What's desperate about it? Google wanted to base their OS around a programming language everyone and their grandma was already familiar with, so people could slide right in and start making apps without having to face a huge learning curve. Makes sense to me.

 

[samcraig]

Eh, not really. The biggest thing that keeps Android back is that you can't just update your phone to the latest version whenever you want. It's limited to what hardware you have, based upon the whims of the manufacturers and carriers who would rather you buy a new phone rather than spend the time updating the software.

How is this really any different than Apple and iOS? You can only update when they issue an update. And you are stuck with hardware with no spec (other than memory) variations.

Either way - you're limited by the whims of those in "control" of the devices/software.

 

[Flitzy]

It just re-establishes my point:

Android is for hobbyists/tech-heads/open-source zealots and iOS is for actual users.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Any setting, like if I want to change my signature in my mail app, or change with app gets space in the notifications bar. There are also a host of Safari settings you can't change in Safari.

I never mentioned anything about using it on a daily basis, so that part is irrelevant. Suspended or not, the fact that I am still "leaving" the application and going into the settings app to make changes.

I see your point. I don't use Safari, I use Atomic which basically launched with or before the iPad 1st Gen and that has all kinds of options to choose without leaving the App. Then, I don't change my signature that often that it would actually bother me to go to the settings. There other things I don't like about the Mail App like a missing spam filter, for example... but your argument was "minor changes" you have to do. There are a lot of "minor changes" on any device you cannot do within an app on all kind of devices. If you don't do them on a daily basis, as you state, then how is it that annoying? Apparently, you know how to do them and the fact that you do shows it ws intuitive enough, or not? But you weren't writing about the Apps (Safari, Mail), you were arguing that the iOS is the problem. Actually, a lot of the things you mention, the App can configure for you if it is programmed to do so when you first start it (e.g. notifications, etc.) and blaming iOS for it, I don't know...

 

[Jayomat]

They're desperate, so they make their language Java, which stinks.

yeah, right..

 

[cymerc]

Google has less incentive than Apple to have paid apps. Google makes most of its money by funneling people to their homepage and to gmail, google docs etc... because they make ad revenue. Sure they take a cut from the apps as well, but most Android apps are free.

Case in point: Google doesn't take care of their devs because they won't spend the time/resources to make a decent IDE for development. Eclipse is HORRIBLE at UI layout and I personally hate it for other reasons. While XCode may have it's stability problems, it's way more useable just for the fact that it has interface builder, storyboards, awesome code completion, etc...

 

[lilo777]

It just re-establishes my point:

Android is for hobbyists/tech-heads/open-source zealots and iOS is for actual users.

You do not have a point.

 

[faroZ06]

What's desperate about it? Google wanted to base their OS around a programming language everyone and their grandma was already familiar with, so people could slide right in and start making apps without having to face a huge learning curve. Makes sense to me.

They're sacrificing quality for ease of programming. A lot.

 

[andyvp]

As opposed to the culture iOS and the App Store has fostered, where an app that costs $5 or more is considered horribly overpriced.

Well yes a $5 app is commanding preimum dollars.

It's odd how you get used to a certain price point. A $30 app in the Mac App Store seems like a huge price to pay after buying iPhone apps for a while.

 

[samcraig]

Well yes a $5 app is commanding preimum dollars.

It's odd how you get used to a certain price point. A $30 app in the Mac App Store seems like a huge price to pay after buying iPhone apps for a while.

It's interesting - the whole "race to the bottom" - it devalues the marketplace yet is often required to compete and keep your app on the top (whatever) list to further sales.

 

[Renzatic]

How is this really any different than Apple and iOS? You can only update when they issue an update. And you are stuck with hardware with no spec (other than memory) variations.

Either way - you're limited by the whims of those in "control" of the devices/software.

It's different because any iDevice that can support the latest iOS rev gets it, whereas there are tons of Android phones out there that could easily support ICS, but are still stuck on Gingerbread because the manufacturer doesn't feel the need to push the upgrade.

I'll admit that OS upgrades aren't quite as important in Android land, because base functionality can be expanded through simple software updates. But you have to admit that ICS is a far, far better experience than GB in just about every regard. Everyone with an Android phone would benefit from the jump to the latest rev, but only a select few have access to it.

 

[Seiga]

It just re-establishes my point:

Android is for hobbyists/tech-heads/open-source zealots and iOS is for actual users.

This is also a common misconception about Android.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Well yes a $5 app is commanding preimum dollars.

It's odd how you get used to a certain price point. A $30 app in the Mac App Store seems like a huge price to pay after buying iPhone apps for a while.

I think it depends what you get. Give me Microsoft Office for iOS with a good review (meaning everything compatible to .docx etc and a good export and import function) and I spend $100 easily without any complaint! Companies will do the same. Other Apps, you are right. $4.99 has to be an absolutely awesome game or something saving me an aweful lot of time through productivity. Basically, a rare find.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

This is also a common misconception about Android.

I agree. There aren't 300 million open source zealots and hackers in the world. It's succeeding perfectly well as a consumer device.

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That being said, I hate the iOS submission process, which seems to be intentionally designed to piss off developers, compared to android's which is a case of compile with your security certificate ans upload. iOS is obviously a much stricter platform, resulting in more stable final apps.

The provisioning process is much harder than it needs to be. When it breaks it can be nearly impossible to figure out what went wrong. It's very un-Apple like.

 

[samcraig]

It's different because any iDevice that can support the latest iOS rev gets it, whereas there are tons of Android phones out there that could easily support ICS, but are still stuck on Gingerbread because the manufacturer doesn't feel the need to push the upgrade.

I'll admit that OS upgrades aren't quite as important in Android land, because base functionality can be expanded through simple software updates. But you have to admit that ICS is a far, far better experience than GB in just about every regard. Everyone with an Android phone would benefit from the jump to the latest rev, but only a select few have access to it.

I'll agree with you. But sincerely - I don't have ICS yet (I think the Skyrocket is due in the next month or so) - but at the same time - there's little to nothing I feel I'm missing by not having it. Maybe it's because this is my first Android phone. Or maybe - like you said - there are plenty of updates for the core apps, etc that have sufficed.

Also - key difference. Android versions have to rely on a greater "chain of command" - first it's the new OS, then both manufacturers and carriers have to push it through. It's not just the manufacturers. Carriers can be prickly and demanding. They can also be a huge bottleneck.

All that being said - the pissing contest is silly. Each platform has its benefits and areas where it falters. I have friends who develop for both platforms and have great things to say about both and curse at both too. It's a win for the consumer because not every consumer wants or requires the same features, etc as everyone else.

 

[BaldiMac]

9 million units of the Samsung Galaxy S3 have been put up for pre-order. That's the largest pre-order for a smart phone ever. They're launching with every U.S. carrier and they already launched in Europe breaking records. I fully expect the new iPhone to take over that number no doubt, but that's still quite the major feat for Android.

This stat is continually misreported and misquoted. The 9 million preorders that Samsung announced was to global carriers. As opposed to preorders to consumers that Apple and anyone else has ever reported. We have no idea how many preorders Apple received from global carriers for the iPhone. (Sprint alone committed to 30.5 million iPhones over 4 years.)