While there are dozens of reasons why users will choose either an Apple-powered or Android-run device to fill their smartphone needs, one of the most prominent facts, is how many applications are being offered. With 200,000 and 300,000 applications from Google and Apple, respectively, neither company is struggling, but they are certainly both competing for appeal to both users and developers. That’s why statements from Rovio executives, putting Google in a position of second best, are so significant.
According to a report from All Things Digital, Peter Vesterbacka, a representative from Rovio (the company that created the famously popular app “Angry Birds” for Android and iOS) spoke about both platforms. According to their statements, making money through Android is still a challenge, and Apple is simply a better medium.
Why? While the statement elaborates that Apple has “gotten so many things right,” the real reason for developers is that Apple has things streamlined. Since they’re in charge of both hardware and software, applications can be designed for a single device type, rather than the dozens found sporting the Android OS. Because of Google’s broad spread, they’ve caused a “fragmentation of the ecosystem,” and one that makes it difficult for paid content to really work.
Despite these fairly strong remarks, Vesterbacka also made it clear that companies like his would, and should, create applications for both marketplaces. Further, he stated that there are other marketplaces that developers should keep an eye on, including MeeGo, Windows Phone 7, and HP-Palm (and at least Windows Phone 7 will be getting their own version of Angry Birds within the next year). He also says that other competitors may well make their way to the market, but that they are “more or less ‘interesting’ right now, i.e. no real business to be had, at least not yet.”
