A Comparative Study iOS Vs Android Development
Patform wars have been rife for some time between iOS Vs Android development with each one claiming its superiority on different aspects. There is no clear answer to this. In order to determine the better platform between the two it is important to study these from varied angles like targeted demographics and the speed of bringing to the market.
- Demographics: when it comes to platform share globally, android clearly has the upper hand. In developing areas and in the low-income regions it has gained much popularity. Similarly, in cross-section of society with higher spending capacities, increase engagements, and better education levels iOS is more accepted. Exceptions are always there but this seems to be the general indication. So iOS Vs Android Development need to address the specific demographics and make the platform choices accordingly.
- Revenue Models: this represents the respective approaches. Ad supported apps number is more for android whereas on iOS you will come across more paying apps. Data shows that revenue regeneration related to the latter is higher. As a result compared to android, users of iPhone and other similar devices are more valuable to their respective manufacturers. That is because Android can run on any manufactured phone but iOS is only run on phones produced by Apple.
- Release Cycles: OEMs and carriers sadly lock down the open source benefits of android platform. So when it comes to iOS Vs Android development, the latter lags behind the former in availability of the latest versions adoption rates. Study show that 80% and more people have already started using iOS8 but one cannot say the same for the latest android version lollipop. So, with iOS one can look forward to support for newest OS versions with certainty regarding broad reach. So developers can build against the new APIs. They can also do away with support for older devices soon with reduction in development cycle and testing time. This is not possible with android.
- Development Speed: one of the considerations for iOS Vs Android development is always comparative speed. How fast will it be for the developers to bring it to the market? Studies show that time required for android is 2 to 3 times longer. The main factors for this are the release cycle of the operating system with android fragmentation. Development tool maturity also proves to be a factor, even if to a lesser extent. Approval time and release also vary markedly between these two platforms. With iOS, apps can get updates approximately 3 or 4 times every month. With android same frequency is available on a daily basis.