It’s your first mobile app. Is it going to be an Android or an iPhone app?
Easy decision, an iPhone app of course, right? Wrong!
But what about all these success stories I hear about people creating iPhone apps?
Apple is not the only game in town. It’s no longer Apple vs. the rest of the minions. The tide is changing. Now it’s Apple vs. Android. And who’s going to come out on top? You might be surprised.
The Need for Speed
You want instant access. You want instant download. You want instant gratification. Don’t we all have the need for speed?
Hands down, Android wins on this one. When releasing your app on Google Play, there’s no approval process. You just publish and it’s there. Done.
And in the iTune App Store? In the latest figures from 148apps.biz from October, the average approval delay is about 5 days. But the maximum is about 41 days! Well, I guess that’s still a vast improvement from just 2 months before where the average delay was 11 days and maximum delay was 77 days!
Oh yeah, did I mention that if you ever need to fix a bug or release an updated version on iTunes, you need to get back in line for approval AGAIN? Hmmm… I don’t think so.
And what if you’re trying to build an app that is time-sensitive? Maybe you want to release it in time for a particular holiday or a major event? Do you want to take the chance that your app won’t be approved in time?
It’s All in the Numbers
In a recent article by Forbes, of all the U.S. smartphone owners, 56% have an Android phone and 28% have iPhones. Wow, that’s double the market!
And based on current trends, Android downloads will overtake Apple in a few months (by June 2012).
There are far more Android phones than iPhones. More phones means more customers. And that means potentially more money for you if you build on the Android platform. Are you planning to release a free app and hope to make money with in-app advertising? Well, Android tops Apple in mobile advertising as well, with 53% of all mobile ads vs. Apple’s 27%.
You can probably tell where I stand on this debate. My blog is focused on mobile app marketing and Android app development. The marketing part applies to any mobile app, but when it comes to creating apps, my writings are specific to the Android platform.
This blog is where you can learn from my experience and mistakes as I build my first Android app (currently in development).
(photo credit: webtrickz)
Hi, I’m Jeanne, a serial entrepreneur and recovering lawyer finding her way in the tech world. AppsBlogger is where I blog about marketing, PR, entrepreneurship and bootstrapping a startup. 
