Apple Offers Bigger Dev Payday
According to a new study by Piper Jaffray, developing apps for Apple’s iOS results in a much larger payday than focusing on Android apps. Business Insider breaks down the numbers:
Here’s one reason developers won’t be flocking to Android any time soon, even with its massive platform share: There’s more money playing in Apple’s sandbox.
According to Piper Jaffray, Android has generated just 7% of the revenue the iOS App Store has generated for developers. Android has generated $330 million for developers compared to $4.9 billion from Apple’s App Store.
Measured by dollars spent on mobile applications, Apple has 85%-90% of the market share. Just 1% of total Android app downloads have been paid, while 14% of total iOS apps have been paid.
Let’s recap: Apps that people paid to download only account for 1% of total downloaded Android apps (compared to 14% at Apple). Read the whole Business Insider story >>>
eWeek.com points out that while steps are being taking to improve the Android Marketplace and streamline development across Android devices, many developers and consumers already have a strong preference for iOS – which is only growing as Apple products are adopted into new uses.
To polish the Android Market’s rougher edges, Google has made the user interface more attractive, added carrier billing for consumers, and analytics dashboards for developers.
Still, consumers have proven reluctant to pay for Android apps. Developers have been slower to build serious, paid apps that won’t be vetted as stringently as apps are under a far more cautious Apple App Store regime, which is considered porn free and more legitimate.
Munster’s anecdotal data backs up some of the Android fears. He surveyed nearly half of 45 iOS developers at Apple’s Worldwide developer conference also developed for Android. However, all 45 of these iOS developers said iOS was both easier to develop for and easier to make money from their app.
The analyst also surveyed 25 educational technology directors and found that all of them are testing or deploying iPads — but not Android tablets — in their schools.
Read more at eWeek.com >>>
