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We're sure that there's only a minuscule amount of you out there that actually worry about the ever-increasing Android market share, but the New York Times has discovered that there really isn't much to fret about. Though app developers have been taking an interest in developing software for the Android platform, they're just not making enough money for it to be a priority.
Writing Android software isn't much to campaign about these days. Developer James Englert admitted that he's only made "$1 to $2 per day." That's great for an entry level developer who just needs some quick cash for pizza and beer night, but that's not at all a feasible amount to live off of.
Experts and developers say that it probably has to do with the fact that Android software has a tendency to be buggy, leaving much to be desired to the average consumer who doesn't want to take time to figure out a phone, but rather purchase one that just works--such as the iPhone. Additionally, the various handsets running Android from a variety of manufacturers is not only confusing for the purchaser, but also difficult for the Android developer. “It’s so fragmented,” said Peter Vesterbacka, a developer at Rovio, the Finnish software development company that created Angry Birds. “It’s a lot more challenging than developing for one device, like the iPhone.”
In Vesterbacka's case, the development of the popular iPhone game for the Android wasn't a total fluke--the game was downloaded more than 3 million times the first week. But in the Android store, Angry Birds is free and making revenue solely from ads. The reason behind the decision? Rovio was concerned that if Android users had to pay a dollar to download the app, they'd find a way to pirate it.
The reality of the matter is that Apple's App Store works because of its closed nature. Developers might gripe and groan because of the difficulty of actually getting the finished product into the App Store, but at least they don't have to worry about things like piracy. Though developers are making apps for both Android and iOS platforms, it's clear that the App Store may be the one to tower above all.
For more on this story, follow the link to the article at the New York Times online.
Follow this article's author, Florence Ion, on Twitter.
