We oftentimes hear
raw numbers of apps bandied about in
mobile OS comparisons, but we rarely get any idea of just how many developers are behind the scenes working for each platform. This is the void of knowledge filled by
AppStore HQ today, who have gone to their dev directory -- claimed to be a complete listing of all 55,000+ coders whose work is currently available for consumption in the Apple App Store or Android Market -- and stacked them into neat piles of Apple, Google and Gapple programmers. It's immediately apparent that single-platform development is the norm (with Apple holding the predictable edge), but
AppStore HQ also provides a list of some of the most well known (and well funded) apps doing the cross-platform dance, and suggests that a movement is afoot toward making software available for both sets of users. Then again, the
BNET article below points out the difficulties faced by smaller outfits, who might struggle to find the resources required to port their content over and maintain the skills required to be multi-platform, resulting in them sticking to one environment, irrespective of what
allures others might throw their way. Give them both a read, we say.
posted July 5th 2010 4:17AM
Quite disappointing for us android users.
@rockingtushar
Don't worry - the gap's not as big as it looks.
9,546 of the Apple Devs only make flashlights
...only about 2,938 of the Android Devs do the same.
@rockingtushar The best-quality apps are cross-platform anyway. For the ones that aren't, there's usually an equivalent on the other platform.
@rockingtushar
Meh, number !=quality
I for one don't care where everyone wants to develop, I would rather like to see a spread of great developers over multiple platforms (really it is not nice to wish all the good developers only at android)
Plus there are more people using iPhones and as a result it attracts more developers.
@Montpelerin
You forget the fart apps
Also I forgot to mention that start-up developers, especially, are attracted to the more popular platform
@rockingtushar
Developers go where the money is. Your average user don't think twice about spending money in the App store since their iTunes account is already setup with CC info, hence you'd be wise to make an iOS app.
Aside from that Its frickin ridiculous that you have to PAY so that you can make a free app and put it on either store. This is why Androids market is dead.
@rockingtushar
If they port Qt to Android and iOS (latter is unlikely as long as God Jobs is alive) that can solve the problem to a large extent. Ofcourse execution is key.
@rockingtushar
not the best of comparisons: android is much younger and there's hardly any good android devices here in Belgium (and other european countries), most people don't even know there's such a thing as android...
@rockingtushar
Yeah, I really hope that Android gets more DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS …
@rockingtushar one word Touiteur
@Montpelerin
keep telling yourself that
@rockingtushar Not really the best apps are ALWAYs going to be made by the platform developer.. You will never see a music app that compares to the iphones, even a 100 dollar nav app isn't definitively better than google nav, and nothing works like ms office mobile or rdp..
Quality not quantity
@t2af
Being that the joke played both sides of the table, I have no idea how you managed to choose a side?
lol - there's always one of 'em.
Oh well, better t2af than you're usual handle...
@Montpelerin
your, not you're - idiot.
@rockingtushar
I've heard that size didn't matter... ?
@rockingtushar
LOL... this is news??!?! Seriously, what world are you living in?!?!
Android gets 2% of App Download Revenues... wake up!
I favour MeeGo over iOS or Android.
Obviously iOS is not cross-compatible across different standards (ARM, x86, RISC) and only supports hardware manufactured by Apple.
Android is everything I like; a cross-compatible touch-based OS for underpowered devices. It is multi-platform (x86 & ARM), very popular, great UI and java-based so Apps are relatively easy to write. But it is much reliant on the VM so Apps run "slower" and basically to make a port you need to start from scratch.
MeeGo is more "smart" than Android in some aspects. It is exactly like the Android platform except its solution to cross-compatability. Using Qt, it is possible to port existing Linux apps (and there's many) and software is one step closer to the hardware, so it can run "faster". MeeGo also has strict rules on UI, you may apply skins/themes but each version will require the same UX. This is a good thing, you can customize things but there is a limit, so if you used MeeGo on X device you know how to use Y device. There will be several MeeGo versions, each like each other but offer different UX eg Smartphone vs Netbook (for obvious reasons) and all Apps will work on all versions. So MeeGo is "potentially" the best OS available out there (truly, even against Win7) but it has many ways to go before it can compete with Android, and an eternity longer if it were to compete against Microsoft in the high-powered (laptops, desktops) devices sector.
And thats pretty much it, if MeeGo kicks it up a notch you may only ever need to know two OS your entire life: Windows (XP, 7 etc) for high-powered things and MeeGo for the rest.
@Montpelerin
Don't forget Task killers for Android... LMFAO
@Montpelerin
Why did you correct yourself and call yourself an idiot?
@Kangal as do we all, as do we all :)
@Kurian What an idiotic post. Fyi android market is alive and well and market is set up so you can purchase without having to enter your cc details every time. Yay for impulsive buying but at least android users have an easy refund and uninstall option if you decide you don't like the application. Not being as transparent as that has weighed in to the app stores advantage but it falls amongst the list of the disgusting behaviour from apple.
Ont the flip side, android isn't contained to one range of devices, so if developers want to reach users on a range of handsets then it'll be becoming more and more the winning option.
@Montpelerin Also, Apple having an app market longer has more developers that have done more than one product/app but have ceased to produce for the store. Looking at active, e.g. have produced or at least updated an app in the past 6 months is WAY more important than this.
@Wesscoast
I only see approximately 4-5 task killers on the market (and 50% of those are free) . I don't think it compete with the app store's *useless* flashlight/mirrors/farts
@fpad77 You're an idiot if you think refunds are an upside. Firstly they are not given if you are just bored of the app, they are given if the app is broken and if they do refund you for an app you are bored of the Android market will be destined to fail foo. Also, wake me up when Android has Real Racing, Angry birds, eliminator and hundreds of other great games as well as great productivity apps like "Things". Face it, the App Store has the BETTER apps
@Montpelerin
Cmon man apple app store has better apps mainly because android is fragmented and google didn't put apps to sd until now. The best apps take a lot of space. Plus there are a lot of apps in android market which just display pics of naked women.
@rockingtushar Totally agree
@MrT Yawn. 'Firstly' your post makes little sense, especially that you don't actually understand how android market works... I think most will agree now both the app store and android market place are saturated enough to cater for all the applications people want and use frequently. Obviously you sound the type that caresses your iPhone without really understanding or looking into the competion -- that's your loss not mine.
@Montpelerin I smell something burning, oh it's you.
@rockingtushar Haters are so sad today and they'll say dumb things to make their pitiful selves feel better. Tsk tsk tsk.
@Montpelerin
The rest are making themes.
@Montpelerin you should look into your precious android market, there is much more junk there than in the appstore although its much smaller ...
@Raytem
Who the shell are you calling a hater. I am being honest about the shortcomings of android.
@rockingtushar BTW: I am rich!
@Raytem
Hell*
@zuogolpon
Dude if you dont elaborate your comments you are gonna be downranked. Yeah I know that app was pathetic but atleast apple removed it.
@Montpelerin
That's a much higher percentage mate
Apple will do what it can to prevent cross-platform development, including unique SDK and coding requirements, preventing third-party development tools, etc.
When you're in the lead, you don't want to make it easier for someone to go elsewhere. You want your advantages to be exclusive, and the developer base is Apple's advantage.
@Montpelerin Flashlights? Nice!!
@Montpelerin HAHAHAHAHA THATS FUNNY AND TRUE
@rockingtushar 90% of the apps should not even qualify as that. A set of a few pictures, sounds or a 2 page text is NOT ap app. That way I can make Maemo the platform with 1 billion apps by creating an app that displays every picture I can find on Internet, an app for each page of each book and 100 million apps that are only a link to a web-site.
If you remove that kind of "apps", the count goes down a lot.
@naashak are you referring to quicktime? If so, plz no. They can keep it.
@rockingtushar
I predict the majority of developers will be WP7 and Android very soon, anyway!
@Kangal
MeeGo is a Windows replacement as well. No reason we need Windows anymore if we have Linux and it runs anywhere we please...
Aside from Windows Media Center, does Windows have anything Ubuntu/Linux Mint do not? Matter of fact, MythTV may be better than WMC anyway.
MeeGo isn't designed for constrained resource environments, though Linux, by nature, is less resource hungry than most desktop OSes, and hence MeeGo should be as well.
@rockingtushar
I'm not sure why Android users are so smug about Flashlights and Fart apps. There are PLENTY of those on the Android Market too. Soundboards, font packs, duplicates for lite/full versions, DROID flashlight(s), etc. Don't pretend like they don't exist just to prove a point because it's simply not true and just about everyone knows it.
@Montpelerin Right. Because Android is famous for its great apps and games.
Oh... wait.
@Greg7388
I find these numbers to be off... the Google rep at IO stated they had 90k developers. They are counting big name app developers like capcom and others and of course the more tenured developers will have more apps in the more tenured appstore/OS .... and what do you expect a new comer to have more than something that has been around twice as long? because I dont expect that... at least not yet.
@rockingtushar please name the better apps Apple has over android instead of making empty statements. Please. Love to hear.
@UptownDonkey
When in my comments did I criticise apple app store
@Kangal
Well said, really, that was good. MeeGo is pretty had and has tons of potential.
@Kangal I wholeheartedly agree.
Plus, after actually toying around with a few Android devices, I've come to the (highly personal and highly opinionated) conclusion that the majority of apps on the market are either utter garbage or just not very useful. I know I'm stepping on a lot of toes here, but there's only so much you can do with a Borat soundboard on your phone (until you get bored and decide to replace it with a Bart Simpson soundboard).
If your major interest is in mobile gaming, fine; I'm sure plenty of neat games have been written for Android. However, I've come to notice that the word "app" has become a buzzword which people have started throwing around like confetti. Companies have grown wise to this and have started using the word to make money. For example, up here in Canada, Bell had the audacity to run an ad whose slogan reads "The best apps work on the best network!" -- horseshit, if you ask me. With mobile browsers improving by the month/year/other increment of time, there are really only so many (read: few) non-game apps that a user actually needs.
Say what you will, but I feel like out of all the companies, Nokia offers (or plans to offer, rather) the most down-to-earth "no BS" approach to mobile telephony. MeeGo definitely shows promise in that it will allow the essentials to be ported for use on a mobile device. The result: a simple but effective mobile computer, not a toy that makes an array of noises when you poke it.