Posted on 09/04/2013 1:45:24 AM PDT by chaosagent
OK, I'm confused.
Why would any company only write an iPhone/iPad app for their product? The last time I checked there were about 10 times more Android device than iPhone/iPads.
Even Drudge only has an iPhone/iPad app. Nothing for Android.
Is it just the cachet of the iPhone, or am I missing something here?
As it is, Android growth has been so explosive that I now code apps for 'droid FIRST, then port them to Windows Phone (because C# is similar enough to Java that it's a pretty quick port) and do the iPhone last. It's only for the filthy lucre; I always dread the chore of going back and recoding crap in Objective-C, which is a complete abortion. Like Visual Basic, it's a rich man's toy that would have been strangled in the cradle by developers if we had anything to say about it.
Apple mistreats developers, going so far as to tell them 1) what hardware they must develop iPhone apps on 2) what languages they're allowed to use for coding, and even, as unbelievable as this sounds, 3) what businesses they're allowed to sell to.
You read that right; shake your head. If you write specialty enterprise apps for niche business use, the business must be willing to subject itself to a rectal exam by Apple, and if you're not big enough, they won't even look at you.
In addition to those egregious wrongs, Apples app licensing process is designed essentially to turn everyone who codes an app for their phone into Apple's personal little cubicle b!tch. Here's one example: the iPod/iPhone is the only platform I've ever coded for where I must pay $100 simply to code a stupid little app for my own personal use.
I turn Rush off as soon as he goes off on his Apple rants. He's a gazillionaire [great at what he does and I don't begrudge him one bit of his fortune] but overpaying 100-150% for exactly the same hardware in Macs you can buy in Chrome, Windows, or Linux boxes doesn't bother him; it bugs the heck out of me.
They may be the most profitable company in the world, but with those kinds of practices and Steve Jobs dead, they won't stay there for very long.
Not one thing you say in your post is true, except that Android users require more value for their software dollar.
What nonsense. Of course there is. The difference is, on Android you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.
The Analytics numbers are skewed because iPhone users are typically clueless little teenyboppers and metrosexuals who're asking the phone where the next 1D concert is. They're driving web traffic because they don't have -- or don't know how to use -- a desktop computer. Apple's success is entirely due to marketing to a certain [generally clueless, willing to pay any cost and not worry much about value] type of person, and those numbers have topped.
In the business world I see probably 5X the number of iphones vs android. At least. For tablets, it’s probably 30-1. there simply are a lot more active devices from apple...at this point dating back to the 3s. I use some of both, so i am hardly a fan boy. Sales in 2012 do not account for 2-3 years of devices still in use from before.
If you think only teenagers use Apple, you are the one ignoring data. While at this point, i think the devices are pretty much equal, that was not the case until recently. The Galaxy III is the first phone I would stack up to being good enough. I had three android phones and liked each, but each had battery issues and would get badly out of date with apps within 15 months. There are several current models that I would say have gotten to a level playing field w/ the iPhone.
Today iOS apps gather the majority of dollars spent while only having around 15% market share.
This comparison comes from comparison between App stores, is loved by Banana fanbois and is essentially nonsense. Google doesn't restrict app sales to its own marketplace as Apple does with its (illegal) monopoly marketplace, consequently, any attempt to compare Android's overwhelming dominance in this area will fail. There are thousands of Android apps being sold to small businesses and enterprises that don't go through the app store, and many other apps that flow through individual hardware manufacturers stores. Not so with Apple; it isn't even possible with Apples (illegal) app store model.
If, as you say, Android users require more value for their dollar, there must be far less value out there to be had.
Not at all. It's simply an indication of how much Kool-Aid drinkers are willing to overpay. I LOVE the arguments from Apple devotees in response to every criticism that "Apple is the most profitable company in the world." Yes, and guess why: because idiots are willing to pay an additional 200% - 300% markup on their products. That's fine. There's an Apple consumer born every minute, and I've made a lot of money from them.
5 years from now, who knows where the market will be. Personally, I'm betting on Windows.
I wish. The development environment for Windows Phones is only about 10x better than for Android and 100x better than Apple. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening, because this market is not determined by the quality of technology, but purely by marketing. In addition to that, Microsoft has made a number of missteps in this area: They could not sell Zune as a media player, despite the fact that it was clearly superior to the other products in the market. They angered mobile developers (including me) with their precipitous abandonment of the PPC, not because developers couldn't see the writing on the wall, but rather because of the way it was done. The one ray of hope in that regard is that Balmer, who has been a complete disaster for so many reasons, is finally gone. One can hope.
“Snob Factor.” Nobody’s ever gotten poor with that.
Proving nothing, except that you need to get out more. Your personal observation is of no value as a statistical measure. The sales numbers are what they are.
The web traffic numbers are the easiest numbers in the world to game, via bots, sloppy code, and apps that just plain bump the count. For publicly traded companies, unit sales aren't.
Apple is partying like it's 1985: Dominate the market, and then in your smug arrogance assume you can create a truly evil business model that can successfully compete with an emerging free market model. The same thing has happened to them that happened last time: In 5 years, Apple's share will be in their comfortable 15% range. And they'll wonder why.
As for not being a Fanboi, you produce this genuine howler: "... i think the devices are pretty much equal, that was not the case until recently. " Complete rubbish. The first 'Droids from Motorola were every bit as good as iPhones, and a far better value. Samsung's devices are much superior, and again, for less money. Chalk Apple sales up to what happens with a fool and his money. Apple is the "most profitable corporation in the world," for a reason. And it isn't because they have a product that delivers better technology or better value for price.
Yep. You got it.
Apple’s “marriage” to AT&T didn’t help them very much in those critical first years. I have a Droid, but would have probably gotten an iPhone a year earlier because of that. I hate AT&T’s Death Star. I put up them for a few years when I had the Star-Tac.
Bingo. The problem with the fractured Droid OS is that it's ripe for all kinds of viruses, malware, adware and social engineering based attacks.
You don't find those problems on the iOS platform.
One can argue "Open v. Closed" all day long, anyone who tracks the amount of viruses, malware, trojan and adware infections on mobile devices knows that Droid's penetration rates are 10-25x that of iOS.
(Disclaimer: Yes, I own both iOS and Droid devices. iOS 6.3 and 7.2 Beta devices, Droid 4.3 devices (Google Nexus 7))
Ok, you appear to be a hateful person operating on some sort of emotional anger toward Apple. I work in a pretty big industry with mostly financial and real estate people on the commercial side. Hardly teenie-boppers. It is a mix of ‘suits’, money people and operations. Most everyone in this sector had a blackberry for a decade before going to an iphone or android. The fact is, sales in 2013 to not have dictate the number of devices in use in 2013. An iPhone 4 in use today was sold 2-3 years ago. I have no clue why you are criticizing me for the fact that Apple has been leading this space for 5+ years. I was a Droid user for three generations and now gave iPhone a try. Depending on where these devices are in a year or so, I may switch again or stay. In my work and my travel, Apple products are still prevalent. They still sell at higher numbers than other devices. When adding all other devices they are not a majority. In fact Apple has never sold a majority of computers but has a large market share compared to other individual providers. Their business model has worked pretty well for them and their share holders. I have no idea if they’ll keep pace in the post-Jobs era or not, but their success cannot be denied.
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