iPhone or Android?

Whether you prefer the iPhone/iPad or one of the many Android devices is a very subjective thing. The general concensus of opinion is that the Apple products are nicer and more desirable than the equivalent Android offerings, but they are more expensive, and some people prefer the openness of the Android platform. What most people don't realise, however, is that from a development point of view the two platforms are completely different.

Apple's products are based on an operating system called iOS. A programming language called Objective C and a development platform called XCode are used to develop apps, and developers must may a fee to Apple to join their developer programme. Before your app can appear in Apple's AppStore it has to be reviewed and approved by Apple; they have high standards and apps are often rejected. The submission process is somewhat tortuous and it takes around a week for each new release of an app to be approved.

Android devices, on the other hand, are developed using a varied set of free 'open source' tools, using a programming language called Java. Anyone can develop and publish an app for the Android Market; there is no review process. This has led to there being a huge number of apps available, but there are concerns about malware (viruses etc), software piracy and the quality of some of the applications.

There are, of course, other smartphone platforms available, Blackberry and Windows Phone being the main ones. However from a development point of view Blackberry apps offer more limited functionality than those for the Apple and Android devices (apart from not being as nice to look at) and the Microsoft platform currently has a very small market share. For these reasons Samarind does not currently develop for either platform, although we will support Windows Phone if it becomes more popular.

As a business considering getting a mobile app developed you need to decide which platform(s) you want to go for. Although the functionality of your app is likely to be very similar for the two platforms, and some of the graphic design will be the same, the actual construction is completely different; this means that the price to develop for both platforms can be close twice that for developing for just one. Most people do go for both, budget permitting, as iPhone and Android are the clear market leaders at the moment, but if you are less certain about the benefits of having an app, and/or have a limited budget, you will probably choose one or the other.

If you'd like to see some examples of the apps we've developed search for 'Samarind' in the Apple AppStore or the Android marketplace, or get in touch for a demonstration.