A new survey reveals that the majority of people who develop apps for the iPhone or iPad have not touched Android.
However, it’s not an overwhelming majority. 47% of developers polled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) said they also develop for the Google mobile platform.
However, when asked “Which platform is best for ease of development?” 100% of respondents said iOS. Apple’s operating system was also the unanimous response to the question “Which platform is best for monetization?”
The results, though certainly skewed because they came from people who had paid to attend the WWDC, highlight the problem that Google still faces with Android.
Even though it has become the #1 mobile operating system around the world and seems to only continue to grow, Android has still faced difficulty when it comes to developers.
Among the problems are the platform’s fragmentation, meaning among the dozens of different Android devices on the market, they all have different hardware and button configurations, different technical specs, and different versions of Android.
Additionally, because every single iOS app is found on and only on the iTunes App Store, it’s easier to track an app’s progress and market it. Android’s app distribution is all over the place.
Nevertheless, Android doesn’t show any sign of backing down, so it will probably be up to the developers to manage with Google rather than the other way around.
