It was Christmas in June for me this week. I received my backordered iPad 3G (yes, I waited for a few weeks, I wasn’t completely sold on the iPad initially) and my backordered Droid Incredible (I tossed my Blackberry after ten plus years with RIM) within a couple of days of each other.
After I played with each device for a couple of days, I started to form some entrepreneurial opinions in terms of how I might think about the iOS versus Android as an app developer and app marketer.
1) Both Android and the iPad need more apps! After scanning through the games which were available in the Android Market, and I was pretty disappointed. Most of the titles and genres I was familiar with using my iPod Touch for the past couple years had no viable alternative in the Android Market. As for the iPad, there were very few apps available in the utility categories I count on. For example, I was only able to quickly locate one free Twitter app specifically built for the iPad versus on the iPhone/iPod Touch, where there are many free Twitter apps.
2) Android makes me think about the user interface to navigate, the iOS makes me feel stupid. In Android, I have encountered several different user interface challenges which would cause me to not want to hand the device over to my four year old daughter to play with. With the iPad, as with other iOS devices, my four year old has no trouble. The result? The iOS makes me feel stupid after awhile. I like a technology that is a little rough around the edges and makes me think.At times, the iOS is too simple for me. With that said, the iOS is the best mobile operating system for the mass market right now. This week on MediaPost, Jeff Litvack, GM of global product development at The Associated Press, said he’s not seeing the same level of engagement on Android devices as he is on Apple devices. I think this is directly related to the UI not being completely dummy proof, and the lack of apps on Android.
3) The Android OS is lacking a robust ecosystem of tool providers for app developers when compared against the iOS- Whether it is leader board functionality, in-app cross promotion networks like W3i, etc, Android fundamentally does not seem to have as many robust tool providers bringing functionality to the app developers. This is very apparent when you engage with apps in Android. This will likely change as Android’s market share grows, as I know many top tool providers on the iOS are planning to enter the Android market soon. Apple’s unpredictable policies are causing a lot of tool providers to look for other viable options. Microsoft and RIM should take note.
