"I'm talking about small developers looking to break onto the scene now... where do they best spend their money?"
I think we have a different definition of "successful app." Yes, I am aware of developers that launch first or launch only on Android, but I am not aware of any that have subsequently turned out to be successful in the absolute sense. Not being on iOS pretty much precludes that, seems to me. But can they do better on Android than they would have on iOS? Sure. To quote from one of your links, we can both be right. Launching first on Android helps small developers stand out from larger competition.
As a start-up business in the highly saturated app industry, differentiation from potential competitors is key. Launching on Android first could help this. The majority of businesses and brands launch on iOS first, and then either wait until they have gathered critical user mass before then launching on Android or do not broach the Android market at all. This creates a first-mover opportunity for any startups looking to capitalise on the huge number of Android users left waiting for major iOS apps to become available to them.
Are these Android apps big enough to make an iOS user envious? For me, as user, do I feel like a second class citizen because of the lack of the latest pocketcast update on iOS? The tide might be turning, but it's going to take the big guns to move the needle, not just small fry devs. Or it's going to take the next Instagram to come out of the Android dev community. Good luck with that, if that's your business! |
