Time Magazine thinks iOS won the app war

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in mobile on (#3EW)
Over at Time Magazine, Harry McCracken has taken a closer look at the differences between iOS and Android and concluded that for the most part, they're equivalent in form and function. But not in one remaining area: app availability. Here, McCracken complains, Android is constantly playing catch up and iOS apps too frequently arrive sooner and in better form.
Reply 10 comments

Walled garden vs Grow your own (Score: 1)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-02-26 10:57 (#6M)

Apple is losing on the whole while Android gathers speed for handset sales.

Considering IOS kicked this generation of phones off you would expect far more.

On the security side IOS is losing. Privacy is becoming a key requirement. The apps of today are being viewed as untrustworthy data thieves.

Current state of market is changing (Score: 3, Interesting)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 11:47 (#6Q)

Given the fact that until a few years ago, smartphones were a luxury item mostly used in Europe and moreso in the USA, app developers quickly went for the "develop first for iOS and Android second" approach, leaving Android apps for later, and when they emerged they were frequently of sub-standard quality.

Now that the Android tsunami is overwhelming iOS maybe we'll see that change. I'd posit that Android's relatively more open ecosystem makes it more appealing for developers, and if other handset makers (Blackberry, I'm looking at you) continue to provide compatability layers that allow Android apps to run on their OSes, I think we'll see things swing in the other direction before too long.

McCracken's article isn't all that good over all, and I think again it's an attempt to conflate one writer's personal experience into an industry-wide trend that other statistics probably don't support.

Re: Current state of market is changing (Score: 3, Informative)

by tempest@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 15:23 (#6Z)

I recall a study showing IOS more profitable to develop apps for by a wide margin. Has that changed? Android also has issues with vendors never upgrading their os version, while IOS users are almost always within the last two releases (good or bad).

Re: Current state of market is changing (Score: 4, Informative)

by dotdotdot@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 19:26 (#75)

"Developer Revenue Per Download is 5x Higher on iOS Than Android"

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-the-difference-in-developer-revenue-between-android-and-ios-2013-11

Re: Current state of market is changing (Score: 2)

by coolhand@pipedot.org on 2014-02-28 12:31 (#85)

My personal view (and maybe I'm biased), is that the tide has really started to shift to Android in the last year or two. It used to be everything was iPhone this and iPhone that, but now things are at least on a more equal footing, if not shifting a bit to Android..

iPhones are for the new and shiny opinion drivers (Score: 2)

by scott@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 15:06 (#6X)

iPhones are still the must-have devices for the new-and-shiny loving opinion drivers. It makes sense to target an app at them first, and Android second.

Re: iPhones are for the new and shiny opinion drivers (Score: 1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-02-28 14:42 (#88)

new-and-shiny loving opinion drivers


New euphemism for 'kids'.. thanks!

How many (Score: 4, Funny)

by oodaloop@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 16:16 (#72)

How many fart apps do you really need though? iOS may have way way more, but Android's are of much higher quality.

Re: How many (Score: 5, Insightful)

by beldin@pipedot.org on 2014-03-01 20:20 (#8H)

^ this. I've (very) recently switched to a smartphone. I'm almost unable to install apps because my conscious prevents me from agreeing to their invasive permission requirements (e.g. even though they're most likely necessary for things like in-app purchases, I don't want a non-phone app to access the phone part of my phone - and lacking an option to turn that off, I choose not to install).

I've managed to install 2 ad-supported apps. Whenever I fire them up when accidentally connected to wifi (no 3g connection anyway), they tell me I have a virus. On an android device. In french.

You can imagine my feelings towards diving deeper into this cesspool.

Competition (Score: 4, Insightful)

by bryan@pipedot.org on 2014-02-26 19:52 (#77)

I'd prefer not just a single "winner" but several choices that are keeping competing with each other and keeping the other side in check.

-Sent from my iPhone while reading websites on my Android tablet