Why are there som many more apps for iPhone?

[blackdognorth]

This probably has been covered previously, and if so, I apologize for the re-do.

With Android popularity increasing greatly, why are there so many more apps for iPhone than Android? I know that obviously iPhone has been around longer than Android, but relative to the "open" nature of the platform and the restrictions that Apple puts on app development and deployment, it just seems that there should be a MUCH greater array of options for Android.

Any opinions on this?

 

[Celox]

Android is just getting more popular and the market is hopping a bit behind. It will eventually catch up when developers see the platform and it's possibilities.

The iphone market started out small too, I believe that it was roughly the same size as the android's market now in 2007-08 (I'm not 100% sure on this one)

However there are some key differences between the android and iphone market. As always the Iphone app market is very restricted and dev's have to go through a certain procedure to get their app aproved by apple. While the android market is very open (maybe abit too open? Alot of malware out there too).

 

[jwm2]

Imo the android is sitting in a good spot. Theres not a ton out there so competition among the great apps is not nearly as fierce, but the installed user base is also smaller in comparison. The apple app store started out small in fact i had an ipod touch before the app store was even available and it grew fairly quickly. But being a couple years behind the android app store has alot of maturing to do. As more developers find ways to exploit the abilities better apps will come out. You also have the fact that apple has a good grip on its os whereas google has at least 4 different versions of its os in the wild. With apple you can't get a new app unless you update your phone or ipod touch so all devices are on the same level. Also with fewer variences in the hardware (ipod touch or iphone) its easier to make apps that function well across their os. Now this is not true for games as the latest games can only be played on the newest devices with the amount of processing power they require. You see alot of people being left out when it comes to these new games, but that also nudges them to upgrade their device to the latest and greatest. It'll be an interesting war between the 2 platforms. You really can't count blackberry os or windows mobile at this time because those os's really lack what the android and apple marketplaces have to offer. But all in all we are benefitting from googles willingness to try new things and apples tight grip they have on their marketplace. Eventually we will surpass the apple app store if things keep moving in this direction, the only thing i can see ruining this picture is if the iphone comes out on verizon anytime soon. That in itself could spell doom for the android os if a good amount of people abandon the os and jump ship to apple.

 

[oceanlight]

because it's been around much longer and has a much larger user base, and therefore a much larger developer base?

 

[Xavion2004]

Because you havent stood infront of oncoming traffic and developed all of them yet, hurry we're waiting...jk...sorta

 

[brykins]

Catch 22 - user base is bigger for Apple therefore developers will earn more from it. More development for Apple means more apps means more chance of people buying an iPhone and not an Android. More iPhones means larger user base means more development.

Android is doing pretty well considering it's age and, as has been said, the fragmentation in the OS and the needs of developers to cope with different hardware, screen sizes, button placements, etc.

I would think that if Google were to plough some decent money into the larger iPhone developers to port some of the more well-known apps over then that would be a good thing - less risk for the developers and good press for Google/Android. But I don't see it happening.

 

[blackdognorth]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[jwm2]

Well its sorta a catch 22 but imo thats about to change. The thing is yes apples apps store is much larger but there is alot more competition as well. This is where the smaller apps store can lure in developers struggling to make money in the apple app store. However it also means that the quality of apps may not be as good at least until the larger firms decide to start developing for the platform. There is a few larger companies making apps for the android so the tide is starting to shift, its only a matter of time before they all do. Or if the larger developers that have already started developing for android start getting frustrated with the differences in hardware and versions of os (1.5-2.1) then that could spell trouble as well. It really all boils down to cost effectiveness. If they can make apps that work well on all available platforms and people buy them then it looks good on them and they make money. But if they dive into the pool and the apps have major issues they might abandon the platform for something more stable (ie: apple). Its really upto google at this point to get everyone on 2.1 and the hardware developers to use more of the same components in their handsets to relieve the software guys of bugs and possible pitfalls of having such diverse hardware.

 

[Pryomancer]

Apple went first, that means Android can learn from its mistakes.

 

[blackdognorth]

Let me ask another, related, question:
Do you think Android devices will ever get a wide array of accessories such as alarm clock/radio docks, etc? I see very, very little in the way of accessories. Perhaps because there are so many hardware devices, but it seems like HTC or Moto would at least standardize their own product lines and be able to offer hardware accessories.

 

[Deleted User]

Apple's store came first, so it started the momentum, increasing its user-base, which increases the number of developers who are interested, which further increases the user-base, etc. With the large number of iPhone users, more name-brand companies are willing to spend money on development of an iPhone app. Android apps are still often lower priority (if they have any priority at all). This also means that there are more open positions for iPhone developers, so many people develop simple apps for experience to get a job developing something more useful.

The number of Android apps in the marketplace is going to increase more and more because a large number of devices are available for (or coming to) most carriers, which will mean a larger user-base, etc. Some reports are showing the marketplace growing faster than the app store at this point. Plus, it's very easy to develop many of the simple apps that companies want, so expenses are low(er).

As far as accessories go, some devices definitely will get a wider array of accessories, such as the Droid. When enough people have a device, it's worth it for 3rd parties to develop the accessories. Micro USB is becoming very common on newer Android devices, so I hope that means more accessories, but many accessories still have to be modified for the cell body.

 

[Little Darwin]

I would be curious about what apps iPhone has that the Android doesn't...

I saw a commercial last night and my Android has all the software functionality they were pushing.

There are dozens of app managers, MP3 players, todo lists, checkbook managers,and most other types of apps in the Market. Does Apple just have a hundred different todo lists???

 

[SprintFun]

Gaming on Apple is pretty superior to Android IMO. Today during their OS 4.0 unveiling they said they have 50,000 games, which obviously is a pretty huge number.

The iPhone store has been around 2 more years - they've had a big headstart.

 

[DatacomGuy]

And then you read articles like those floating around today, where the Market gained 9300 apps last month. That's pretty damn impressive.

 

[Little Darwin]

Gaming on Apple is pretty superior to Android IMO. Today during their OS 4.0 unveiling they said they have 50,000 games, which obviously is a pretty huge number.

The iPhone store has been around 2 more years - they've had a big headstart.

I'm sure there are good games, but my first thought was...



Who needs 3,000 variations of Jewels???

 

[jwm2]

For me the apple apps just have abit more polish on them, they seem to function just alittle better but they all cost money. If you have the money to spend right now its hard to beat what they've got to offer, but otherwise the android has a pretty decent lineup of its own. I'm pretty suprised at how far the android has come with its app store in the time its had to do it in.

On a side note one of the main reasons i didn't get on android sooner was due to googles own website android.com which makes it look like there are only about 30-40 apps available. They need a front end somewhat similar to apples. With apples front end you are always in the know when a new app comes out, when one catches fire and what people are raving about. With the android you pretty much have to hunt around for bits and pieces of information. Not to mention you can see preview images on the device and can make your decision based on that bit of extra info. Once android does something similar and makes their front end more appealing the developers will come and so will hoards of users who frankly don't know how big the android app market is.

Being the techie amongst nearly everyone i know, i often used to get asked about the android and i told them i didn't think it was going to go anywhere due to android.com and how its presented. I didn't know there was thousands of apps available that aren't being showcased on the flagship domain. It wasn't until i started to do more research and to be honest i sorta stumbled upon the info. I was researching which is the best phone on verizon as my new every 2 date just came up and i got an email from verizon stating i'm good to upgrade at anytime. In fact if it weren't for the fact my wifes phone was literally broken i wouldn't have gotten into this as soon as i did. I was waiting for the nexus one and then got tired of waiting and no info about the iphone on verizon was available so i figured they were at least 6-12 months away. Sure some people said late spring 2010, but that was just rumored and the sources weren't trustworthy.

So it came time to make a decision and i went with the droid eris for both myself and my wife. To be honest i was perfectly ok with my old phone the LG Decoy and waiting for the iphone, but my wife NEEDED a phone and i had no choice. I'm glad i was forced to make the decision when i did and find it kinda funny now, but the android platform gave me no indication that it was very much alive and kicking. Theres virtually no coverage about it on yahoo whereas the iphone makes headlines weekly.

Imo google needs to do a much better job on presenting their product to the mass's. Because until 2 weeks ago i had no idea this oasis even existed.