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Apps Convince a P.O'd iPhone Developer

R

redon

Lurker
I'm a long term iPhone developer, Apple product owner & worshiper. I've had the last straw today with Apple when they rejected my application that i've worked on for 6 months. Other straws include the iPhone 4 antenna issue and how Apple is handling it and when my MacBook's fan broke and my computer fried to death. Also how they will not let flash on devices that can clearly handle it (the iPad can surly handle it and the iPhone 4 probably can too).

So if you would like a video of me chucking my iPhone at an Apple employee then answer these questions.

A. Android market:

1. Hows business? Is there a lot of horrible applications that take up space just like the App Store?

2. Does Google take any part in the Market? Like taking 30% of your profits or murdering your business if they don't like the application you submit?

B. The OS:

1. Whats it like? Is it as polished and smooth as Apple's "iOS"?

2. Do you think i'll be able the make the switch from iOS to Android? Or will i fall miserably off a cliff when i try and send an Email?

C. Phones:

1. I currently have AT&T and i'm locked into a two year contract. What Android phones are available for AT&T? I really like the look of the Nexus One, but $529 is a lot of money for a phone. Plus it's getting old isn't it? Is there a possibility of a Nexus Two?
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Apple is pissing me off and my iPhone 3GS is scratched up - it's time for a new phone.
 
Welcome to Android Forums!

I'm moving this to the Dev's forum! You'll get more viewing there! :)
 
Welcome aboard!

Might I suggest reading through THIS to give you a feel for what people think after leaving the iphone.

In answer to you questions:
A1 - There are some, but not nearly as many as on the apple market IMO.
A2 - Don't develop so I can't help you there.

B1 - It's smooth and polished, but still has it's oddities just as the iphone has it's unique situations.
B2 - It's a learning curve, no doubt about that. You will learn to get used to it, in fact, I can't even use my wife's iphone anymore because I'm so used to my android.

C1 - Arai, backflip, Captivate... or N1. I'm not with att anymore so I don't follow their phones too much. With the amount that I'm saving on another carrier it would have been worth it for me to pay the ETF and switch carriers.
 
Hello. To answer a couple of your questions there are a ton of crappy apps on the android market. This is is because there is no approval process to worry about. There are some excellent apps as well. Google takes a 30% cut.

I would leave AT&T. you can probably talk to folks at Sprint into buying out your contract for you. AT&T has a poor selection of Android devices at the moment plus they lock down some Market functionality thinking they know better than you as far as what you want on your phone.

As far as the Android OS... download the SDK and play around with the emulator for a general idea.
 
Google doesn't take a 30% cut -- they take 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. The % is lowered slightly if you do some amount of volume. It costs $25 to sign up for the google checkout which you need to charge for an app in the marketplace, but with your google checkout account you can also setup a store and use it to charge credit cards for merchandise.

Android is programmed in Java and you can use any computer (Windows / Mac / Linux) to develop on. I'm sure if you're familiar with objective C you will pick up java fine, and then you just have to wrap your head around the multitasking part.
 
A. Android market:

1. Hows business? Is there a lot of horrible applications that take up space just like the App Store?
Business is as good as you make it. Both places are saturated with mediocre apps, but (IMO) it's easier to stand out in the Android Marketplace.

2. Does Google take any part in the Market? Like taking 30% of your profits or murdering your business if they don't like the application you submit?
If you sell your app on the Market, then Google takes 30% (see Transaction Fees - Android Market Help). If you have your money paid out via Google Checkout, you'll also be subject to the fees for that (see Google Checkout).

B. The OS:

1. Whats it like? Is it as polished and smooth as Apple's "iOS"?
This one's very subjective. Really, users don't interact with the OS directly in many cases (and on Android, they can even replace their "home" application). The default styling is simpler on Android, but you can easily extend system styles or create custom ones from scratch in your own apps. I find it's much faster to launch apps (though I am running an N1 with Froyo) and switch apps. In fact, besides games, very few Android apps have splash screens that are the norm on the iPhone. It's also more intuitive to navigate because apps are based on activities, and the OS keeps track of the "stack" so you can go back through activities very easily. Many people consider iOS more polished, but I haven't seen too many concrete explanations of that term.

That said, Google has told us that their focus for Gingerbread (Android 3.0) is UI. We should see something around the end of the year.

2. Do you think i'll be able the make the switch from iOS to Android? Or will i fall miserably off a cliff when i try and send an Email?
If you're a developer, you'll definitely enjoy the additional freedom that Android affords you. You'll take some time to adjust because you'll be so used to the "Apple" way of doing things, but then you'll be glad that you can use your device how you want to.

C. Phones:

1. I currently have AT&T and i'm locked into a two year contract. What Android phones are available for AT&T? I really like the look of the Nexus One, but $529 is a lot of money for a phone. Plus it's getting old isn't it? Is there a possibility of a Nexus Two?

AT&T is pretty limited with its Android selection right now. The Samsung Galaxy S will be offered in the near future (I believe it will be called "Captivate" for AT&T), but I think the Nexus One is currently the best AT&T Android phone. Personally, I'd recommend leaving AT&T (their ETF is pro-rated, so you might not owe as much as you think unless you just got a phone). The Droid X is looking pretty nice ;)
 
I stand corrected -- if the fee is 30%, and google checkout fee is 3% + $0.30, then I should only be getting $0.40 for a $1 app, but I get $0.70 -- I guess they don't take the google checkout fee if you pay the android market fee?
 
I can answer all of your questions in two parts:

Part 1: Man up, get over here.

Part 2: Bring friends, we have punch and pie.
 
While im not a dev by any means, i think its important for you to consider the POTENTIAL audience. Android is growing by leaps and bounds... and its currently available on 60+ handsets and this is increasing all the time! There are android based phones on pretty much every carrier around the world at this point. Im greatful that apple set the standard high with the iphone high from a usability and price standpoint.. now im enjoying the competition android is providing and reaping the benefits :)
 
The thing about increased freedom is that you can't expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter. You may have to work harder and have more patience in order to get results. You're not going to make a lot of money selling a $0.99 geewhiz cool app that people will get tired after a day or 2 but you will if you make something useful and respond to users.
Last night I talked to a friend of mine who is a long time mac user. He's now interested in developing for android because he is very familiar with java. Once upon a time, Apple actually liked Java and Adobe...
 
you guys are forgetting the main issue here, the video of the flying iphone heading towards apple employee!

Just starting out myself to code for android, so appreciate the information here.
 
To clear something up, normal Google Checkout fees do not apply to the Android Market. Google just takes a flat 30% cut for app purchases made from the Market. It's a little confusing because the Google Checkout fee schedule is posted on your Google Checkout page even if you're just selling on the Market, but the sale of a $0.99 app will give you $0.69 in the bank.

So come in, the water's fine. I've got my own issues with the Android SDK, but on the balance, it's very good.
 
NOTE: This is from the perspective of a new-ish developer.

The iPhone is the "established" player that is irking consumers a lot lately, while not growing a ton. Most people already have their phones all set up how they like them, and there's a zillion apps plus restrictive development policies as to what middleware/languages/UI elements/etc. you can use. Additionally, Apple is very hostile toward developers.

The Android platform by contrast is very open: if you come up with an awesome idea, you can rest easy knowing it won't be blocked because they don't like it for X Y or Z, or because it isn't an "intended usage" of the device. Furthermore, the growth of the Android platform is astounding at this point, with lots of new models available on basically every major carrier. Android tablets will be coming in due time, and to me as a developer the Android platform and Google in general are much more attractive.
 
although I love android too much there are some more stuff concerns android developers than iphone ones
1- different hardwares (there are many phones = many hardware variations so you have to make sure your app works on different hardware i.e. how it looks in different screen sizes ..etc)

2- different OS versions (ok , this is not a real big deal as long as you program for android 1.5 you shouldn't face major problems , but if you need a higher level apis , then you may not be able to shoot at the whole market)

3- the 24 hours return policy (this could work good and bad , good is that costumers won't hesitate to try a new payed app as that they can return it , bad if you made a game that can be beaten in 24 hours .. :D)


just come here and get the pie :D
 
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