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I realise that this is very much a "how-long-is-a-piece-of-string" type question, but I'd really like to get some idea of the costs and time involved in developing an app for the Android market compared to the iPhone.
My understanding is that it doesn't cost developers to submit apps to the Android Marketplace (as opposed to the iPhone Developer’s Program which costs $99 a year). So there's a saving there.
But in terms of development costs, would you suggest that hiring a developer to create an Android app would be cheaper because the market's smaller? Would it make no difference at all? Would it be harder to find a developer to code for Android?
Basically, any thoughts anyone has on this would be really appreciated.
Cheers,
Why don't you try and find out? Ask some (android)developers what app x would cost and ask some (iphone)developers the same
for most applications it should be cheaper to hire an Android programmer because you develop in standard Java and this is the most widely used language in computer science education. Eclipse is also a standard development environment many young programmers are familiar with. Even I was able to code my first Android application in a matter of minutes.
Objective-C on the other side is a nieche language. Of course, every good progammer can learn that language in a couple of hours or at least days but there are definitly more experienced Java programmers out there and they can reuse code (snippets). Java code is so ubiqitous you can find for a lot of problems coded and tested solutions. So two reasons: there are much more Java programmers out there and they can develop faster. Specific Android experience is not needed as long as you don't want to program kernel extensions or things like that.
But I guess the Apple-market is still more profitable because Apple users are trained to spend money. So even as it may cost more to develop it also brings in more revenue. I hope the sheer amount of Android handsets out there will outweigh this advantage soon.
Humm .. i think this is a tricky question.
While it will definitely be cheaper to develop an application for android, the question you might want to ask (depending on what you want to do) is what is the ROI of an Android application versus and IOS application.
And even then, depending on the type of application & the demographic your app will be targeting (not to mention usability, design, general app quality) the response will likely vary quite a bit too.
But globally yeah, it's cheaper and less a hassle to make an android app i'd say. ..then again, i have an allergy to apples, and this is an android forum after all
robert_tlse said:
Humm .. i think this is a tricky question.
While it will definitely be cheaper to develop an application for android, the question you might want to ask (depending on what you want to do) is what is the ROI of an Android application versus and IOS application.
And even then, depending on the type of application & the demographic your app will be targeting (not to mention usability, design, general app quality) the response will likely vary quite a bit too.
But globally yeah, it's cheaper and less a hassle to make an android app i'd say. ..then again, i have an allergy to apples, and this is an android forum after all
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Hehe, I agree on that Robert.
ten chars!!!
You can also spend many months developing an iPhone app, only to have it rejected by Apple for no good reason. That's quite expensive.
It is, however, unescapable that there are a lot of iOS users who buy a lot of apps from the App Store, so the potential ROI is higher. There's also only a few platforms to develop for (although this is becoming increasingly less the case).
Would like for Android to have more focus though; it's getting there!
(The diminutive term "app" does irk me slightly - Apple have popularised it in relation to phones when they convinced everyone that the iPhone was the first phone to support third-party software. Guess it's stuck now though.)
then why are Android apps more expensive??
Android apps aren't more expensive. They have by far the largest proportion of free apps on any mobile platform and even those that do cost are comparatively cheap.
Android will probably be easier and cheaper to develop for..the only concern people have with Android is fragmentation...aka when developing you gotta decide which versions and up to develop for and choose the appropriate functions for the documentation. Of course in the end all the old devices will upgrade eventually and be compatible anyways..
My hope is though Apple lets 3rd party development tools back in...cause that way you can use Adobe AIR and make an App for both Android and iPhone at the same time....How I wish for cross platform app development...but Apple will fight it till the and cause if they don't they will loose one of their biggest advantages...
In my opinion Android is just now getting to the average joe especially in the United States. Older people are even trying the droid line of devices since there are so many to choose from now on all carriers (vs 1 iphone on AT&T forever just revised of course) So yeah, even people here in hicksville, MO USA are even trying it out go figure. If everyone hasn't heard of HTC or Android, they're definitely being introduced to it now through the Galaxy S series since it's on almost all carriers and has some snazzy media buzz.
With all these new cells and tablets coming out I give it a mere 2-3years and everyone will know our lil green droid dude globally, and use it on multiple devices around the house. Just my theory. I'm sure the Marketplace will grow 10/fold in that time, peace!
I guess there are a few things to keep in mind:
Politics:
1) Apple tries to regulate what is permitted to be installed on their phones. They don't provide any real guidelines, nor do they tell you in advance if your application will be accepted. You'll only discover after submitting your app that it isn't permitted. So they waste your time, and numerous high end projects have developed their application only to discover Apple blocks them because "they are duplicating functionality" *cough competing*. Yes, lots of money has been lost.
2) Apple is Non-Disclosure Agreement overload. Send an email to apple and it always says "this information is confidential". Basically, Apple's agreement is so bad (unless it's changed recently) that they can cancel the account/sue you any time they wish. That increases your risk further.
3) iPhone's can be jail-broken to install 3rd party apps, but many people wont. Even if the Google store wont accept your app, they can manually install it, or you can use another store... Without jailbreaking.
4) Many developers often complain of long delays getting their apps approved, and when removed from the store by Apple, they have to flood Apple with emails for reason's why. On android, you don't even need to use the App store, in fact, Android has the benefit of allowing paid apps to be sold in countries with export restrictions (because they can sell it via other means).
5) Piracy is possibly more rife on Android, however, Google are apparently implementing an API which allows apps to check if they were purchased for that phone, which should strongly reduce piracy once available (because it means that dodgy stores will need to actually crack the programs). Once this is implemented, hopefully it will stop the jackass spammers from selling pirated stuff.
Development Process:
1) iPhones use objective C, Android uses Dalvik. Dalvik is VERY similar to java, one simply needs to learn the differences. Objective C is also quite easy to learn though, but it probably takes more experience to do well (because c++ doesn't have the idea of selectors). If you try creating apps on the iPhones without using objective C originally though, your app might be removed. On android, frankly, Google doesn't give a damn provided, it works.
2) Big win for Android here, the Android SDK works on Linux,Windows AND OSX. It integrates with eclipse which already has a large user-base. Whereas, you need to buy a mac for code for the iPhone, and the SDK is OSX only.
3) That being said, you can make a cross-platform webapp that can be sold for both, but the user needs to be online.
4) Objective C is compiled code, whilst Java is bytecode. Bytecode can run as fast as compiled (with some initial overhead). Native sounds great, but if Apple ever does a processor change for their phones, it might be a world of hurt. If massively-multicore mobile processors are released, Android is probably better suited. That being said, by then, you'll probably need to fix some things in your app anyway because of API changes.
Actual sales:
1) Apparently in the past, you would have sold more in the Apple market. However, in the past, Android mobiles were actually quite rare because Android stunk. Froyo is probably the first Android OS that can compete against iOS effectively because it now supports JIT. There is also a much greater emphasis on Android these days in advertising, and I see more Android advertising than iPhone. Possibly inaccurate predictions suggest they will overtake the iPhone in 2012 too.
2) Sales figures don't represent profit though (so whilst iOS may generate more still, it's less than Apple claims). A google market account costs $25, whereas an Apple iPhone development account costs $99. Furthermore, you need Apple equipment to code for the Apple market (which can be significantly more expensive than PC's), and there is no estimates done to determine profits lost by being rejected from the Apple app store (there have been major projects which cost thousands to develop which have been rejected). So greater overheads on the Apple store, which means for cheap/quick apps, you are probably safer developing for Android (especially if you don't already own a mac).
My opinion:
For me, developing major apps is too high risk for iPhones. Although, if your app is approved, there are potentially bigger payoffs than Android. For small apps which don't have a predictable further, you may earn more on Android because of lower overheads. If you app is rejected for iPhone though for competing, you wasted weeks/months of your life, and need to use a 3rd party store (since only hacked phones can use them though, you dramatically decrease your sales instantly).
Anyway, my thoughts are that by the end of the year, everyone will know what Android is, and you may start to see manufacturers getting together to launch MAJOR campaigns to promote Android, especially since they now all have a common enemy (Apple basically took a cheapshot at other major manufacturers to justify their design flaw). Apple is only a small guy when it comes to manufacturing phones, and so it's as though they threw a few tiny pebbles at a team of football players to show off. Of course, some of those football players have already started retaliating, and it just depends on how annoyed they got.
Personally, I think iPhone would be great if they didn't do the "anti-competitive" thing they always do, but as it stands, I am now doing my Oracle/Sun SCJP, and hope to get into Android coding soon. If Apple starts acting less evil though, I will take another look in their direction, but they are mistreating the users they need the most, the developers. It's a pity, because Apple really has potential.
Source: I haven't sold any apps on either market yet, but I have mostly decided on developing for Android.
Developing new iPhone app looking for developer
I have a cool iPhone app idea it's a very simple game that I could like to create I am looking for a developer in the Los angeles area I am new here so please if your interested or can redirect me to the right person I would appreciate it thank you...email me with any info
It is very obvious and I know that I am late to discuss this, but here is the actual patent application: US 2009/0249247, if you search the applicants - they appear on other applications assigned to Google. Just my 2 cents...
http://www.google.com/patents?id=r9...urce=gbs_overview_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Honestly, in the end, I don't think it will matter. If it's a really good feature that people want, a company will put it in their product, regardless of competitors or patents.
It will, however, be interesting to see if lawsuits are thrown out there over this and other copied features.
Apple would and currently does sue anyone who tried to use anything remotely like one of their patents. I think other companies should do the same to them.
Honestly, the idea is so simple that it should not be patentable, and therein lies alot of our countries issues with stupid lawsuits, but since it is patented it should be used against apple.
...they also copied WP7 with the dedicated camera button, and BB with the messenging...and now they have a cloud....
The entire new iOS is just adopting features that other platforms already had. They should all just sue...
Just to clear, the patent application that appears to be filled by Google is just that an application and not a patent yet. However, it will be interesting to see what happens once they get it.
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This will be interesting to see how some users respond to this. I think RIM might need some work on their gear to catch up. Android kills all, and iPhone, as mentioned above is playing catch up.
As much as I hate how Apple's new features were "inspired" by other OS its essential that these companies build on each other cause in the end its benefiting us the users.
The difference is that iOs5 is lacking a clear all button
brilldoctor said:
The difference is that iOs5 is lacking a clear all button
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Shocking omission.
Say what you will about Steve Jobs and his flagship company, Apple, but I think we all must admit some form of loss on the matter. For all the bad things that we love to rip on about Apple, it is no big secret that this company with this man at the helm drove our precious smartphone market into the spotlight we all share today.
Rewind the clock a few years and the only "smartphones" on the market, called Pocket PC or PPC, were Windows Mobile devices. That operating system once ruled the PDA/mobile device sector with an iron grip. Granted that back then it was less than 5% of cell phone owners that actually had a PPC. We were all business users with different tastes making our devices work for us, one way or another. we all dealt with the poor WM UI for so long that we knew nothing else. It was commonplace to install Today Screen plug-ins like SPB or HTC Home to give it a slightly more attractive appeal.
The game all changed when Apple, with Steve Jobs at the helm, released the original iPhone. Hardware-wise it was particularly unimpressive. It utilized the average hardware from the time. The thing that made it stand out over anything was the intuitive UI, iOS. This new operating system brought smartphones out of the strictly geek circles, and introduced a new mobile gadget to millions of people who thought touch-screens were only used in Star Trek. It ushered in a whole new era of thinking.
Manufacturers took immediate notice of this and changed their way of doing things to keep up with Apple. Google purchased Android, Inc. and pushed forward with development of it's Android OS platform. RIM began ramping up production and released version five of their Blackberry operating system. Even Microsoft, who had previously dominated the PPC market began to back away from its aging UI and began working on WP7.
The impact that this man has had on our community, for better or worse, is one that every member has felt at one point or another. Without him pushing the market forward, you would probably still be stuck waiting on that Netflix DVD to arrive rather than queuing it up on your device. Whether you're an Android fan, an Apple fan, or even an aging Windows Mobile die-hard, like myself, today is a sad day for us, and one in which we should all pay our respects.
If anyone has anything else to add, this is the thread to do it.
Don't matter how Android, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone 7 users hate Apple, they can't say that Steve Jobs was a visionary and a great man, which changed the way we think about technology
Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built
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http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/
You summed it up nicely, yourself.
But yeah, love or hate him, he did ALOT for technology in general, whether you used Apple products or not, they impacted the market greatly and most of the things you use may have never come to pass without Apple being pushed ahead helmed by Steve Jobs.
RIP
keep it in 1 topic plz
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1290812
Apple is reportedly negotiating with Android manufacturers to license its patent portfolio as it continues to pile up the ammunition such negotiations will need.
The news comes from the Dow Jones news wire, which talked to the omniscient "people familiar with the matter", and discovered that Apple plans to abandon its policy of all-out nuclear war with Android - a conflict led by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was hell bent on annihilating Google's mobile operating system.
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More to be found here...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/07/apple_patents/
It's funny because android will be becoming the most expensive OS despite being the most poorly coded. This opens windows phone tango to release low-end devices while even the low end android devices will have to pay an additional $30ish dollars per handset. That will make the cheaper OEMs who want what they can use for cheap look at windows phone as the only viable option. It's just Microsoft and Apple playing smart against their younger, more naive competitor. Apple would rather see themselves back on top with wp7 following than see google and their... Business practices leading the way.
z33dev33l said:
It's funny because android will be becoming the most expensive OS despite being the most poorly coded. This opens windows phone tango to release low-end devices while even the low end android devices will have to pay an additional $30ish dollars per handset. That will make the cheaper OEMs who want what they can use for cheap look at windows phone as the only viable option. It's just Microsoft and Apple playing smart against their younger, more naive competitor. Apple would rather see themselves back on top with wp7 following than see google and their... Business practices leading the way.
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Google has been in the software game a LONG time (in terms of software companies that remain relevant). I wouldn't sell them so short. Keep in mind they compete with Zune and iTunes with Google Music, they pwn e-mail with gmail, they own search with Google Search, they're getting up there with Google+ competing with Twitter and Facebook and Android pwns all current mobile operating systems...
...
...and you call them naive? There isn't a software pie on earth Google doesn't have 2 fingers in and they've been in competition with pretty much every software company you can name in one way or another. You have to believe they'll come out of this either just as screwed as apple or just as good as apple.
I personally see this as a good thing. This will lead to more innovation both by Google and their partners as well as for Apple. All in all, this is a good thing for the mobile marketplace and will further innovation rather than the usual "bashing over the head with a club" that we've seen as of late.
This will benefit Android a lot since this means (hopefully) that we won't be seeing the likes of the lawsuits we've seen in the past that resulted in Android phones being pulled off shelves due to some lawsuit.
This is good for both sides since they either steal or borrow each others new/featuring features to their phones can u imagine iTunes running on Android or customization featured on a new IPhone? This is good for both companies they both have their fan base and its gonna be hard to steal customers away from each other since half the people hate iPhones and half the people hate Android
they already steal stuff from each other ie iPhone notification dropdown. can't believe there's no lawsuit about that
--sent from my glacier.
The tittle made me giggle a little
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How? Its not even funny
alexmdz said:
How? Its not even funny
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Peace talks + device manufacturers. Its hilarious!!!
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Hello Guys,
Very Sad News Here:
http://rootzwiki.com/news/_/articles/apples-latest-patents-could-spell-doom-for-android-r977
MOD Edit: Removed some of this as its more of a rant, Chill out safariking.
Oh jeez... I hope this won't come true. I don't want any of their products, but if this is true and apple wins in lawsuits to come, I might have no other choice. This is some pretty f*cked up s*it
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These articles pop up all the time. Nothing happens. Don't worry.
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orlandoxpolice said:
These articles pop up all the time. Nothing happens. Don't worry.
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i hope so!!!
Nothing will happen, it will either be considered a FRAND patent requiring a license fee, but no bans, or invalidated completely in court. Even IF it stood up to all that it only applies in the US. If the US wants that, fine suffer the consequences.
Fun journey ahead.
The platform which can REALLY suffer drastic consequences from this is not Android, it's Apple's iOS devices sales. People are not blind, and even on the Apple camp, people are starting to get really tired of Apple's litigations and are beginning to see Apple's true nature and purpose. Cut me the crap that they are defending their own IP, they really are hurting the whole industry with their mentality (and the lawyers are the ones who really win). Remember, bad publicity is still publicity, people are not blind and are seeing new stuff, new interfaces, improvements, cooler looks, variety of features and devices and more in the Android side. They will figure out who is who.
Touchscreen patents? Who needs Touchscreen??
Since i haven't 10 posts on xda yet, i cannot post links. So search for "Most Important New Technology" on page of technology review. Using devices without touchscreen is coming.
Oh give me break... "moving things around the screen with your finger", "electronic lists such as music in a library"... to name a few can be dismissed with evidence of prior art.
What blows my mind is how when Microsoft where faced with apples bull**** regarding using a window to group items in an operating system Microsoft won out. What gives these days? Is it only mega rich corporations that get justice.
Thread Closed
Nothing to do with the 8.9 tab