For both users and developers the Android app store is the cream of the crop. For the last two years as I sat out my iPhone contract I have watched Android do things the way they should be done.
Google is on the dead-right path with its app store, much more so than Apple. Sure, the Apple app store may have more total applications, over a hundred thousand against fifty thousand in the Android Market, but what goes into those applications? Is more better?
Not really, as it turns out. Today we take a look at five of the best reasons why the Android application market blows the iPhone’s out of the water. Application quality and quantity have long been major selling points for Apple in their “there’s an app for that” commercials. How honest is the praise of their devices as the simplest place to find the best applications?
Refunds
If you buy an application from the Android Market (their application store), you can return it in 24 hours if you don’t like it for a full refund. With Android you can download a five dollar application, play with it, and then if it is really only worth three dollars, send it back.
It’s like being at a restaurant where you can order an entrée, take a bite, and send it back with no questions asked.
Among developers for Apple’s store there has been complaint over a general price race to the bottom. The lack of refunds can explain at least part of this. As the price of an application rises, so does the risk of buying it without testing it. The ability to test for free fixes this problem. For both developers and users, refunds are a good thing to have. One point to Android.
Porn
“Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone” says Apple boss Steve Jobs. Well, alright then. Pornography is a taboo subject in our society, but that hardly means that it is not popular.
By closing out all the pornographers, Apple is leaving a bucket of money on the table. Even more, porn has long driven digital innovation. By banning it on their mobile devices (except in Safari, of course), Apple is setting themselves back several notches both now, and when they lose the marketing force of the porn masters.
You don’t have to like, or even watch pornography to appreciate this point. A good number of people do, and are not being well served by Apple. Porn on the go? Take another point, Android.
Zero Guilt Downloads
That Apple is not very kind to their developers is common knowledge, which leads to moral quandary. If you buy applications from Apple’ store, you are signing off on their policies that abuse developers.
Does that sound melodramatic? Apple only gets away with their TOS shenanigans by being the biggest fish in the pond. If you shrink the fish, you shrink their influence and relative size. After watching any number of my friends who are developers get yanked around by Apple, I can’t download applications now without a small twinge of guilt.
Android and Google do not take advantage of developers. Don’t believe me? Go read the Android Market TOS, and see for yourself. Sure, Apple has a lot of applications, but once you get past the fart applications, the people who build them are being treated unfairly. Your call, but another point for Android in my books.
The Future, Several Important Upgrades
Not only does Android have some serious advantages right now, but coming soon in the next version of Android are more goodies that will make the platform’s applications even better.
First on the list is the (rumored) arrival of Apps2SD. In short, load up your SD cards with as many applications as you want, and swap the card out for others. You can then have an unlimited catalog of applications for your phone. Of course, Apple products do not have removable storage, so this is not even an option with a software upgrade.
microSD cards are dirt cheap.You can pick up a 16 gigabyte card for $30 just about anywhere. iPhones cap out at 32 gigabytes, and the 16 gigabyte jump to the highest capacity phone will cost you $100. With dead cheap expandable storage, the Android store become an all you can eat buffet, where you never get full. Your iPhone applications have to compete with music just for storage space, meaning that you can have far fewer total applications. You can grab three 16 gigabyte microSD cards for $90 and stack on nearly 50 gigabytes before lunch if you use Android. One more point, Android. That makes four.
And finally in the next Android release will be Flash 10.1 support and the activation of FM tuners in phones that have them. This of course frees up even more bells and whistles for developers to use. Once Android 2.2 hits, it’s going to unlock a whole new slew of development. Apple on the other hand just banned all third-party compiling and told Flash to jump off a bridge. Take a last point Android, you win.
Interesting that you didn’t mention quality of apps in detail though. Surely you’d agree that quality of apps is better in the Apple app store no? And if that is the case, then by definition it is a better app store…Whether they’re nicer to developers, have zero guilt download, or whatever else.
I’ve preached this before, and I’ll continue – In time, we’ll see equivalent apps on the Android Market. Right now, App Store has the advantage, but it’s also been around longer and has a larger dev base.
Good point. I think you’ll see the dev base change though. Android is simply a better technology choice for any company, person, or developer. I believe that Android will see a substantial increase in it’s developer base over the next year, and within 2 years, Android will long have surpassed iPhone.
My only fear there is the ability of Google to get media downloads for music and videos. That will be crucial. At the moment, iTunes/iPhone has an edge there that is a major selling point for consumers.
But for Enterprise applications, Android is the clear winner. For regular developers, it’s also going to be much more attractive.
The only thing Google needs to do is to NOT treat developers like shit the way Apple does. i.e. If Google can follow the Microsoft model there, they’ll win hands down.
Better tools, no oversight, and so forth lead to better applications. I could argue that app x is better than app y, but that is an impossible task.
If the toolbox has more tools, and the craftsmen are allowed to work in peace, it leads to better creations.
Ah, i’d argue that if the boss (Jobs) is doing his job and only letting the best apps in, then we’d see a far higher quality of apps…which, so far, has been the case.
I disagree, but can only do so anecdotally. The apps that are in the Apple store are generally pretty freaking bad. iPad apps are looking good though.
You place too much faith in “the boss”… I don’t trust Jobs in the least bit.
It’s logical that Apple apps are better, because it has a longer history of developers, but with time that will be easily changed. Don’t let your love for iPhone blinds your neutrality.
Cue the fanboys!
Hi Alex. Read this with interest. Do Android smartphones currently let users see video on all platforms? Can they view You Tube, and both Quicktime and Flash? If Android devices can view both and are not restricted to Flash then they are well placed to take on iPhone. I’d like to know your thoughts on this for my next blog. Best, Daniel
Quicktime is an Apple deal, so I am going to go with no.
The winner here will play ball with both. We’re developing a video site and this situation drives us nuts.
HTML5. It’s the only thing that’s truly cross-platform, at the moment.
The video tag is a problem there as codecs are not necessarily cross-platform.
Zee: Funny that the sky’s the limit on “high quality” fart applications, but Jobs has this Holier Than Thou mentality when it comes to women in swim suits… except for Sports Illustrated, of course. Also keep in mind that Apple’s App Store had almost a 3 year head start on Google’s Market. Let’s give it one more year, and then compare quality, quantity, number of developers, and whatever else matters to you or anyone else.
Biggest problem for me as a Swedish Android dev, is that payed apps aren’t supported in the Android Market yet. Sure, we can charge using product web site instead, but it sure isn’t as smooth as doing it inside the market. I really don’t understand why that is so difficult to solve by Google.
Let’s see how many manufactures and providers push the 2.2 update though. Neither HTC or Verizon has worked to updating the Eris to 2.1. I had to risk bricking mine to force-update to 2.1
Upgradable storage space is a great point! Apple is being mislead by Steve Jobs right now. A great leader needs to know when he’s gone too far, and loosen up. After being a Mac for a decade I dont buy Apple anymore.
So true. The REAL reason Jobs does not want Flash on the iPhone/iPad is MONEY. If Flash was on the phone, people could play games online for FREE instead of having to buy them from Apple. As a business model, that is GREAT. For users, not so much. Then he just lies about the reasons why. If he said something like “It is not in Apples best interest to allow Flash on the iPhone or iPad at this time.” or “Due to conflicting business models we decided not to offer support for Flash.” I may of still had some respect for the man. But to straight out lie? What happened to his famous spin? Like you cannot change your background because they “Want a consistant user experance.”
P.S. Before you start trashing my spelling… I am hard of hearing which makes it hard for me to spell words out. What I can hear of them is not much, I read lips to make up for the rest. Bad hearing = bad spelling. However, my totally deaf friends always spelled perfectly. Others like me with hearing problems from birth, bad spellers. My IQ is 156. Not Steven Hawkings, but smarter then the average person. I just cannot spell worth a darn.
I’m an Android developer who refuses to sip the apple kool-aid. This article is so true. Let’s make that apple fish as small as we can. Buying apple products is bad for both consumers and developers. If everyone had iphones we would end up paying for all forms of media. I personally like free stuff.
I never really had much of a problem with the iPhone when it first came out. It was AT&T I was sick of. I had PocketPC (eary SmartPhones) and their network was horrible. They kept blaiming my PocketPC saying it was a PDA first and phone 2nd. Yet my wifes phone, would have the same call quality and dropping calls issues. This is why I am getting an Evo. Finally, a SmartPhone on a carrier I like, with a screen size PocketPC’s used to give you. With kick butt hardware. I am giving my Touch PRO 2, to my teenage son,which is still a good phone, but not as good as the Evo.
Disagree on a few:
Refunds: As it stands, I’ve heard from several developers now that this is being used for pirating Apps on a large scale (having otherwise highly regarded Apps returned to a very large percentage)
Updated: If Google doesn’t find a way to have a) LESS updates and b) make updates available for all platforms, this is going to kill Android as a platform anyway. I own a 9 months old Android phone (htc hero) that is now 4 (!!!!) Software generations behind with no official update available and half of the Apps on the Market Place don’t work on it. The current iPhoneOS release ist still available for the very first iPhones and most Apps still work on it.
Even as a self-proclaimed Android fanboy I originally would’ve disagreed with you on the claim of “Android market is better than Apple’s”.
You do, however, make some excellent points. I agreed with all of them… except one: Porn. The official Android market bans porn apps too. It doesn’t screen them but users have the ability to flag offensive apps which can later get them taken down. Although Android _does_ have the unique ability to install a different/unofficial market application which may or may not allow porn (see: mikandi.com).
Porn made VHS beat Beta, and Blu-Ray beat HD DVD. (after the porn companies said they were going Blu-Ray, TimeWarrner dropped HD DVD and do did Netflix. So Toshiba gave up the war. It’s all about porn. Porn will never be the official downfall of the iPhone. But it will soon turn into a Chic only phone. Then those Chics will see what their boyfriends/husbands do with Android/WinPhone7/WebOS and say “I wish I could do that!” Then the non-porn driven people will switch over.
Problem is the Android is on a Contract and the Ipod Touch is Not. No more contracts for me Ever!! I’m starting Not to want to buy Any app. anymore because of the “Unquality”, of the apps. People who Review the apps. are saying that they should be able to try them out for free before deciding to buy. Some of the apps. do have mini free ones to try out though.
Another thing I’ve finding is even if a few apps. turn out to be quality ones after trying the free ones, does Not guarantee you will get as much as you are entitled to in the paid one. Ie. – when I bought one language app., after trying their free one, they didn’t give me as much as they should have!
Umm, you are missing the point here. The postings are about SmartPhones. As in Cell Phones. The iPod Touch is not a cell phone. The comments about the Apps, I do agree with you however. I currently have a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone (Before you get into it, BlackBerry and WinMo are business phones that can play some games, not toys. iPhone and Android are toys that can do some business apps). I am getting an Evo though. I got a job change and I do not need the business side of things on my Smartphone now. I want to play games, listen to music, etc.
Maybe just a little unfair. Without Apple, there would be no app stores. Don’t they get +10 points for that, even if sometimes you’d give them a -1 for being tough about their rules ?
This is a very good point. And, while I am an iPhone user and have no intention of switching at this time, being first does not mean you can not make improvements. Most of the points in this article are more than valid. If Apple is smart, they will make some changes to their practices/TOS to coincide with the release of iPhone OS 4. I doubt they will, but they SHOULD address some of the key sticking points at the least.
Oh hells yeahs, Apple get big points for starting all this, soft of. They did the toy pocketPC and ran with it. And they ran well with it. Because of that,more toy phones starting coming out. WebOS, WinMo 6.1, or 6.5 with mods to make they toyish, and the king of the crop, Android. By no means were they the first SmartPhone. It came out in 1992. Well before Apple iPhones, I was using Windows CE that turned into PocketPC that became Windows Mobile that is turning into Windows Phone 7. And HTC was the company making the hardware for those early phones, without putting their own name on them. So I really do not understand how Apple can sue them. “Hey, you have been using this tech for 18 years now, we put a patient on it 3 years ago. We are going to sue you!
This is less remarkable than it might seem. The App Store is a glorified Synaptic Package Manager, with prettier pictures. It follows the same model Linux distributions have used for years.
very nice point…..i agree
The grass is not as green as you describe, the TOS is actually quite bad on a couple of points:
- if you as a developer remove your app from the market, you must refund all years up to a year back! (7.1) (apple’s TOS doesn’t have this)
- if somebody complains about copyright, google can pull your app and you have to pay back a whole year of sales + creditcard fees! (7.2) (Apple’s TOS does not have this costly rule)
- and, if a user does a refund, who has to pay for the transaction fee? If it is considered a billing dispute, the developer has to pay! (3.5)
Those might be other reasons why so many apps are for free on the google market…
I think the iTunes App store has a lot of potential in it’s future. Apple however will not adjust it’s policies which could be it’s down fall.
ANDROID HAS A FLAW
You cannot install and run Apps of your SD Card or second storage.. This is lame and means.. example on a G1, you only get 40mb of apps? wth is that about
You have to root the phone (hack it) but this means the developers are are aiming to make tiny apps (generally speaking). So an iPhone you can get a 300mb game whereas on an Android many phones wont be able to install more than 40mb in total?
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
They fixed that. Android 2.2 not only allows you to select internal storage or the SD card, it lets you move the app back and forth on the fly. So when an App has to be run from internal storage, you move it there. When done, move it back to the SD card. Many apps will run from either location now too.
So in summary:
1. Bigger doesn’t mean better;
2. I like Porn;
3. I don’t like Apple’s TOS;
4. Vapourware; and
5. Vapourware.
Useful article.
You can only sell Android applications if you are from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, UK and USA. Others can only work for fame and publish free Android applications (after you pay $25 sign up fee). For me as a developer, the Android market is dead right now.
I really don’t see the point?! Google regularly send me those AdSense checks, but it won’t allow me to sell the application and earn money the other way?!
What is the reason for that restriction? It sounds pretty ridiculous
Where can I read about it?
It’s funny: When it comes to app quality – and I fully agree with what @Zee said before – Android fanboys always claim, that the iPhone platform has an advantage simply because it came out earlier.
Nobody seems to recognize, that in fact Android was introduced in November 2007 while the first version of the iPhone SDK was released in March 2008!
Even though Android has almost a six months advantage, app quality is generally pretty poor. Not so much functionality wise, but certainly when we count in usability and performance.
Name one Android Twitter app that comes close or even beats Tweetie 2 on the iPhone. Try to be fair!
I like the refund part…then get the apps for free.
Sorry but Androis is not a good business model for developers.
I am a long time Apple user. Since getting an android smart phone I have full faith in Android.. Just waiting for android to produce a full OS system for my desktop then i’ll be fully away from Apple.. I want to design on an IBM chip computer with Adobe. I want choices Apple is just shutting the gate on users. Thanks for reading… :)
I work in the adult market and i’m excited about creating content for android, there’s huge potential right now to get your foot in the door and build something huge.
About the video, i have a htc desire and the browser supports flash, videos, games, you name it, you can view it all in the browser. Apple users are stuck with only being able to view 25% of online video. Go android!
download Puffin on any I product and you can play as much flash as you want. I play flash games on the iphone and Ipad all the time and watch flash content through Puffin. I also have an app called AVPlayer that lets me play anything I download without having to convert it to mp4 for ITunes.
My friend has the Samsung galaxy and another friend has the windows phone and the apps suck. Sure there are some good ones but on a whole they rate poorly against Iphones apps. With apples range you are only limited my your imagination and with the 3 or 4 apps or more out there that let you watch flash content there are no more excuses. I hate Itunes and the limitations but there are many ways around Itunes so find them!
There is no comparison on quality of apps between Android and Apple.
Top game apps for Android (free and paid):
Robo Defense
Solitaire
Jewellust
Armored Strike Online
For Apple:
Words with Friends
GTA: Chinatown wars
Chaos Rings
Street Fighter IV
(to name just a few)
It’s pretty ridiculous to claim that Android even competes with iPhone’s buffet of Apps. Even though the iPhone OS has been out a lot longer then google’s offering, it’s unacceptable that the best the OS can conjure up are a few casual games that are on par with Super Nintendo graphics. Seriously, what other quality apps does Android offer that you can’t get on the iPhone (in some version)? I can only think of Google Maps/navigation and sky view, and there’s already a lot of other GPS navigational apps for the iphone, so it’s really a moot point on the navigational aspect. Also, before you call me an Apple fan boy, I own a Samsung Moment with Android 2.1 installed. I figured google’s commitment to quality would shine on Android, but ever since I got the phone, I’ve been continually disappointed with the lack of support and mediocre app offerings. Unfortunately, I’m stuck in a two year contract with Sprint otherwise, I’d switch to an iPhone in a heartbeat because of the superior app support.
You know, Samsung made the thing and they have great customer support. If Sprint is not getting you to where you want to be with it, try Samsung.
you guys are lame
I took back my iphone4 for the Captivate with Android 2.1. I was shocked at how awful the Android market was. The quality of apps were horrible. I felt like I was taking a huge leap backwards.
There were many factors including Quality and too many android phone versions with a lot of apps only working on certain ones and not knowing if one would work. There were also A LOT of crap apps. You think Apple has alot of fart apps, well that doesn’t even compare to the Android Market.
I could not find one good tower defense app in the whole market. I can’t tell you how many excellent ones are in the app store.
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Porn is natural on this generation. And refund should be refunded. IRS Tax Attorney