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Comparing Android and iPhone (seo)

By Roberto Garabell

 Creating applications for Android and iPhone can be very different development experiences. Especially considering the fact that these development tools feature very different programming languages, platforms, and development resources it should come as no surprise that developers maintain a preference for one or the other. In addition, iPhone applications are somewhat based in the traditions of application development but they also tend to require different tools and knowledge than the standard applications that generally are developed using Adobe technologies and run via Adobe Flash. While iPhone applications are certainly the more famous of the two, there are distinct challenges faced by developers if they want to focus their efforts on iPhone applications: namely the fact that iPhone applications are exclusive to iPhone, while Flash based applications are much more universal. Nevertheless, there are benefits to both systems and this article will attempt to present an unbiased view of the pros and cons.

Programming Language and Platform

Without getting to technical, there are some distinct differences between the programming languages for Android and iPhone. Android relies on Java language which is not only a very popular programming language, but one that supports the vast majority of applications. iPhone programming language is Objective-C. This language can be a little trickier to wrap your head around. First of all, because Java is more widespread, more developers are familiar with it. But other than that, there are some mild issues with Objective-C. Some developers have described the syntax of Objective-C as cumbersome at best, and feel it is representative of a somewhat archaic programming language.

Java is the language of choice for web development and as such is easier to adapt to for mobile web development. Learning a new language specifically for mobile is a bit of a pain as a lot of time and effort went into learning existing skill sets. Expecting developers to learn new skills to develop applications for mobile web is not only time consuming and arduous but also something of a waste of money (especially when you’re paying somebody to learn those skills).

In addition, developing with the Objective-C programming language can be awkward as you’ll often find yourself switching between files which requires each file to recreate its sense of context. Ok, so this doesn’t make a lot of sense for a novice, but the take home message is that the development process using Objective-C is much less straightforward and therefore inherently more time consuming. Objective-C features some powerful pointers but they can also be time consuming. Java has some issues here as well, especially when it comes to maintaining an organized or focused work flow. Nevertheless, Android wins the slight edge with regards to programming language mostly because of universality and the likelihood your developers are already familiar with Java.

The iPhone platform does simplify some processes, for example the MVC design pattern is built into the platform. Component design becomes streamlined and a lot of the code that developers usually need to write is already done for them. However, Android also does well in this area despite the fact that iPhone and Android concepts are clearly divergent. Still, while the Android design might relate to a richer user experience, the platform can create complexity for the developer.

Development Resources

The development resources available through Apple are quite impressive really. Anybody having difficulty in the development process will find a number of tutorials with videos making the concepts much easier to understand. These tutorials can be exhaustive making it more difficult for the most experienced developers find the detailed information they want so Apple backs up their tutorials with a variety of sample applications with code so that developers can easily identify solutions to problems. Similarly, Android developers can easily access a wide range of resources. Guides for Android are installed so they are available offline, making it a breeze to work while in transit. And generally speaking, Android resources are highly organized. It is easy to find the exact kind of information you need without the need to sift through hours of inappropriate video or article after article of useless information.

App Store

Selling iPhone applications is made easy with the App Store. Many developers can quickly bring their content to the App Store provided the applications are accepted by Apple. While the setup for the App Store is straightforward and gives you access to a global market, there is more than a little frustration associated with getting your application into the store in the first place. Apple has decided that each application must be approved before it is available in the store. Moreover, when applications are rejected, developers are given little feedback with regards to why they are rejected. Also, Apple doesn’t send developers any money unless the payout is greater than $250 for every application. In the Google market, the minimum payout is $1 and both companies take about 30% of your profit. Unfortunately with the Google market you have access to a limited number of countries. Still, the process of getting your application into the store is a bit easier as there isn’t an Apple-like approval process.

Conclusions

The developer tools and programming language associated with Android are comparatively superior to those of Apple. The process for developing Android applications seems more technologically advanced and tends to require less time. On the other hand, with iPhone applications you have access to a truly global market and therefore have a greater opportunity to make a profit. Each developer therefore must weight the pros and cons of iPhone and Android and decide which tool is better for them.

Moonrise Productions is a full services web design company offering complete design services, social networking website development, ecommerce development and more. With New York, San Diego, San Francisco and a Los Angeles presence no matter where you are, we’ve got people to serve you.

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Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.