“Google Chariman Eric Schmidt recently addressed an Android user lamenting the fact that that mobile apps are often released on Apple’s iOS platform well before they finally reach Android,” Yoni Heisler writes for Network World. “Schmidt cooly and curiously explained that this dynamic will change in just 6 months.”
“From Schmidt’s perspective, it’s nothing more than a numbers game. More Android users = more potential customers = more attractive platform for developers. That, however, is an overly simplistic view of mobile development resting on the erroneous assumption that all mobile users, across all platforms, are one and the same,” Heisler writes. “The reality is much more nuanced and can be boiled down to a simple precept – not all smartphone users are created equal. An analogous and illustrative example can be found in TV advertising where Television shows with desirable demographics (18-34 year olds) can demand higher prices for 30-second ad spots than shows that may very well have many millions of more viewers.”
Heisler writes, “Similarly, developers don’t always focus their efforts on the platform with the most users. Rather, they’re interested in the platform that can yield them the highest return on their investment. So much like advertisers covet particular demographics with respect to TV viewers, developers seem to place a premium on iOS users as opposed Android because they spend significantly more money on mobile apps.”
Heisler writes, “The takeaway here is that Android is not a monolith, and the installed base of Android users Google likes to trot out encompass a wide range of phones with varying screen sizes, processing capabilities, and features. In Google’s zeal to increase Android’s reach and make it all the more appealing for developers, they are actually achieving the opposite.”
Tons more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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