I'm wondering given the huge sea of apps, is it even worth dev for Android or would iphone apps be more lucrative?
I'm gonna say that the iPhone is the way to go. And basically I base this on watching user response to apps that have been released on both platforms. Generally Android users are a bit more fickle and not as easily amused. They also require far more bug fixes and updates to satiate their never ending desire for the maximization of that single dollar that they forked over.. Whereas I think most iPhone users are just happy to tinker around with a new app for a few hours and forget about it. I actually installed the Android SDK this past weekend and have been tinkering about a bit. I'm still not sure what I might create that would be in any way even marginally lucrative though.
[stereotype] Apple owners are more simple and will happy spend money on shiny things for not much more benefit Andaroid owners are more likely to be more knowledgable to the point of dullness and will complain more about things that are even free [/stereotype]
Yes Jamtex that is exactly my point. You pinpointed it exactly as I am clearly an Android fanboy looking to make a profit off of the Apple using morons floating about with their heads in the clouds. Clearly there is n nead to make and sell apps in the android market since ANY AND ALL Android users are so advanced that they would clearly just write their own apps. I'm just saying that from a profitability standpoint there are far more apple app store users which means that there are going to be a higher percentage of people that just mess with an app and forget about it. If we're talking maximum profit for minimum effort then it seems that iPhone apps are the way to go. Not to mention that there are far fewer devices that use the appstore which means less likelihood of specific hand set hardware limitations.
I think it would be easier identifying a niche market on Android to be honest, the App Store is flooded with so much shyte it's hard to find anything good. Plus so much stuff is free (ad supported) on the iPhone, profits wouldn't be guaranteed.
I can confirm the stereotype android users on myself, as a linux user I am used to have everything for free: now on my android it's not different as I didn't buy a single app and am not planning to do so. I am quite happy with the free apps!
Pretty much everything on Android is free. I assume the iPhone appstore is the same. You only pay for seriously good things (and then there's probably a handfull of useless things as well). I think either way, if you have the ability to write a truely great app that justifies selling, either platform can be lucrative. I paid for a power management program because it was good, back when I got my phone... though now with it rooted and running 2.1 (it shouldn't, as it's an old G1), that app crashes and I don't even use it anymore. But hey, they got my dollar.
Both market venues are saturated. I don't see any point unless you can data mine user's phones and resell their info to use for strategic advertising.
Here's my 2 cents: About android, as an OS is great, but as far as app goes you wont make a dime. The best stuff there is already free (like navi) and the majority of users are already used to that, so they wont like that they have to fork actual money for your stuff. Blame freetards, thanks to them everybody things software should be free. The iphone has the disadvantage that you're working for apple, literally. Now that you cant port flash apps nor use things like Monotouch you're SOL unless you know ObjectiveC, or JS. But the worst part is that budgets for app dev are ballooning, with the average popular app having a cost of over $100,000 to make. And I agree that apple users are much more gullible and will spend a lot of money on useless shit, one game dev already proved that by making a dumb app (you had to pop zits) and pricing it for $0.99, didnt sold shit. Then he changed it to $1.99, still nothing. Then $5, and it started to sell. By the time it reached $15 it was selling much better than at anytime before that price point, proving that the more expensive it was the more people wanted the damn app.
"I am rich" was an isolated case that didnt last a day, what I'm talking about is a guy who made a minigame, sold it for more than a full-game would and didnt had a problem, in fact his sales increased. The guy you mention got his app yanked...
Not really. There are some neat things done with it (IE MegaMan 1 intro done in jQuery) We're using it in a site, in which each page slides off and on screen, as well as a bit in an iPhone app as well. It can't do everything that Flash can, but it sure as hell can doe more than half of what we used flash for. Ryan
