News and updates from a Philly Android developer
Archive for February, 2009
Android Market Marketing
Feb 25th
I read a really well put-together article this morning regarding marketing paid apps for Android. I liked how the author compared the Android Market to a catalog. The dynamics of the Android Market are quite different as compared to the iTunes App Store, so it’s really hard to make comparisons there.
One commenter mentioned that also, because the Android Market has had only free apps listed for some months, that most people are usually satisfied with what they have. Why pay for an app that you already have, and that works well? The only way to really compete with that is to release a product far better than what you have, and at a reasonable price on top of that. I can see a few things that could come out of that.
With this dynamic in place, app developers who want to earn money from their applications will really have to work towards making their app top-notch. This might drive out the tinkerers and hobbyists from the paid game, but perhaps some will overcome – I’m thinking a very small percentage. Another point will be pricing. The author of the article had a good point in saying that, even with one million or more handset owners, a very small fraction of them would be interested in paying for an application. This brings me to my final point.
It is currently difficult for Android developers to really sell their application, relying on the Android Market alone. There isn’t a snazzy “iTunes App Store”-esque interface which provides detailed descriptions, screenshots and app reviews all in one spot for any given application. So really, I think any real way for Android developers to sell their product(s) would be through blog posts, social media avenues, reviews, and a lot of work.
For now, as a hobbyist, I sometimes get delusions of grandeur in my head when I read articles about iPhone app developers who strike gold with their Apps, earning 250-600K for a single application, but I do come down and realize that the real world scenario I’m in as an Android developer may, or may not be that successful. We’ll just have to see. I’m really interested in finding out how things pan out over the coming months when we can see some useful reports on market sales.
You know what really grinds my gears…?
Feb 4th
Please, enough with the whole “iPhone is far superior to Android/G1″ schtick. People should really stop moaning about how less capable Android is than the iPhone firmware/software, it’s getting a little old. And for those who base their opinions solely upon the downsides of the G1, here’s some news: there will be some handsets coming along which will most likely blow the G1 out of the water! So what if Google/T-Mobile released what it did, when it did? It’s a 1st generation product, what do you expect?
I was reading an article on CNET about how Android/G1 users will be receiving a “less-capable” integrated voice search feature in the upcoming RC33 OTA update, and it sort of set me off. So many folks, such as myself, tend to read CNET articles religiously, so I’m sure by now already thousands have viewed the article. Hopefully, they read the comments below it. Josh Lowensohn (the article author) was probably just having a slow news day and thought (rather, didn’t think) to really consider the body of his article. From the article comments, one person makes the observation that, in comparing clicks/taps to get to this functionality, the iPhone and G1 are exactly the same amount. PLUS, the voice search will be available to tap from any Google search bar.
So what’s the problem? Is it really so much worse because the G1 doesn’t have a proximity sensor? Come on, get real. Hopefully, readers will take the article with a grain of salt, and intelligently decide for themselves what they consider better.
