2011-10-18

Writing Apps for Android or iPhone

OK. So you've heard all about Apps for Mobile devices. And you've heard of all the millions that some App developers have earned by creating utilities, games, or tools. Which platform should you build it on? And why?

According to a survey, around 90% of the mobile App sales are attributed to iPhone Apps. The total amount spent on Apps comes to about US$4.2 billion in 2009, comprising about 2.5billion App downloads for that year. As smartphones and related devices grow in popularity, the Apple market domination is expected to be challenged by Android Apps.

There are 100 million Android mobile devices activated worldwide, 400,000 new devices activated each day. The explosive growth means that the estimated 200,000 Android apps at present is likely to overtake the number of iPhone Apps eventually. Other App stores are also available: Motion's App World for Blackberry devices, Nokia's Ovi Store and Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace.

iPhone Apps Platform
If you're an iPhone-aholic, here are some reasons for developing iPhone Apps:

1. You only need to cater for specific, limited number of devices - the iPhone, or iPad. There is not a plethora of different types of phones and screen sizes to cater for. So you needn't test your Apps on a multitude of different devices.

2. The free iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) makes it easy to do development work. The development can be done using Objective-C.

3. The App Store - You get to list your Apps on it, and Apple takes care of hosting, credit-card processing, downloading, and notifying users of updates. Apple also reviews and filters out Apps for inclusion, which means you need to make sure your App is of good quality before it can be accepted and launched.

Android Apps and Other Platforms
On the other hand, there are compelling reasons for developing on other platforms such as Android too:

1. Platforms such as Android are an open-source, Linux-based platform. This means anyone can access the code that drives the system. You can explore the operating system itself and its APIs. Hence there is no censorship for your App by any specific device manufacturing or service provider.

2. Development for Android is done using Java, which is is a powerful and widely-used language.

3. Some developers find it easier to get their Apps approved on the Android Market, since there is no lengthy approval process involved.

Whichever platform you choose, if you are you excited by the revenue-generating possibilities, then you should seriously consider developing Apps. How do you go about getting started? Well, that's a topic for another Article.
Adema Richards is a keen follower of Mobile App trends, and an active member of the App development community at http://www.apptoolskit.com/.
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