Android apps are effing stolen like crazy. A lot of fandroids pride their a** on being so freaking technical that they eventually steal the devs hard work.
sorry Goggle but you ain't getting to 10 billion app downloads in this life time.
Wow, now Google wants nicer apps? They've courted the 'volume' demographic (let's be Windows on the phone) and can't expect it to be as nice. Half of the users are too cheap to get the nicer phone (I'm looking at you, iPhone) and aren't suddenly going to start spending money on apps, the other half think everything should be free anyway and either won't pay or will pirate. Their users don't really care, Google will make money on ads, the hardware makers will have their razor-thin margins... everyone's happy.
For users who don't want to be part of that ecosystem, at least there's a better alternative.
Maybe your app sucked. Maybe the magazine's content sucked. Maybe people looking for that sort of content are already aware of plenty of free websites to get the same content.
Honestly, your anecdote says absolutely nothing about Android users.
No kidding. Why pay for "sexy Latinas" content? Go to Google, turn off safe search, click images and search for "sexy latinas" and I bet you get content that is as good or better for free.
People will pay for apps if there is a compelling reason to do so. I will pay for a GPS app if it is better than the free ones in a way that is meaningful to me. I will not pay for an app that at best duplicates what I already have or is a half backed mess.
If anything, Google has an issue with getting compelling high quality apps in the store and in front of potential customers. It is not a problem with Android customers not willing to spend $0.99 on an app. Many of them paid the same $199 for their Evo or DroidX that iPhone owners paid for their devices. The ones on Verizon are paying more for their monthly services. They will spend money if you give them something to spend it on.
Wow, now Google wants nicer apps? They've courted the 'volume' demographic (let's be Windows on the phone) and can't expect it to be as nice. Half of the users are too cheap to get the nicer phone (I'm looking at you, iPhone) and aren't suddenly going to start spending money on apps, the other half think everything should be free anyway and either won't pay or will pirate. Their users don't really care, Google will make money on ads, the hardware makers will have their razor-thin margins... everyone's happy.
For users who don't want to be part of that ecosystem, at least there's a better alternative.
You seem to think you know a lot about Android customers. Half are too cheap to get a nicer phone? What is that based on? Half wont pay for an app or will pirate them? Again what is your source? There are iPhone owners who are too cheap to upgrade to an iPhone4 and who pirate apps, but I would not take those facts and make up BS stats that say they are half the population.
More than half of Android customers in the US are on Verizon, the most expensive phone carrier. Yet these same peole are too cheap to buy an app? Really? They go for the volume demographic, and these people are also techno geeks who pirate apps? Really?
Ah, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it easier to install 'non-official' apps onto Android phones?
There is no such thing as non-official apps in the android world since they do not have an app store for offically approved apps. But more to the point, it is not very hard to jailbreak an iOS device and install pirated apps either. A small number of jailbreakers do it, but it is far from the norm on iOS and I doubt it is that widespread on Android either.
This is of course just a single example, but a friend of mine with a Droid Incredible regularly busts my chops about the fact that I "pay" for apps for my iPhone, etc. He's quite proud of the fact that he hasn't paid for a single app for his Android phone yet.
why is this a surprise Google business model was not to sell apps but to have app developer use advertising as means of making money, they encourage developers to not sell apps but to give them away and generate revenue through stupid ad placements.
When you read most review of the free Android apps people get pissed with all the ad placements. You some time see that with iOS apps as well. This is why Apple was not real keen on doing ad placements.
Being an iPhone and android phone user, I admit the fact that I spent a lot on buying iPhone apps while android I spend 0 dollar !! The games on android are either too boring or already sold on iPhone app store.
Ha, so much for "the beauty of the Android App Store is in its openness" or words to that effect by Eric Schmidt.
Will the openness fanatics who have been championing Android commit harakiri once word gets out that Google will start, omigod, curating the Android app store?
The games on android are either too boring or already sold on iPhone app store.
No, that can't possibly be the reason! Are you sure you are not a cheap pirate? I read here on AI that Android users are cheap pirates, it must be true.
Ha, so much for "the beauty of the Android App Store is in its openness" or words to that effect by Eric Schmidt.
Will the openness fanatics who have been championing Android commit harakiri once word gets out that Google will start, omigod, curating the Android app store?
No, they didn't kill themselves when Motorolla locked down the OS, so why would they care if Google locks down the store. Besides, they can still get crappy apps from other stores. Android does not lock yopu into the one and only one store model...yet.
I always considered the cesspool called Marketplace to be the wild-west of apps. It's a place where anarchy rules and no one is watching the store.
With the fragmentation problems Android is having (yes, it is real), the malware issues going on, the lack of any reliable payment system for developers, it is no wonder at all that the real players are not porting their apps here. The hardcore phandroids think it's the perfect model of choice for consumers, when the consumers in general look at it as a mess and something only for nerds. I've used Android. Had Apple never been in the game, it obviously would be the OS to use. However, it's a shame to see how sloppy and poorly implemented this system/ecosystem has become.
Motorola is already making it worse with the locking-down of their handsets to prevent OS upgrades, further causing a rift in OS fragmentations. The handset makers have ZERO incentive to upgrade the OS devices due to their business model. They make money on making handsets and do not want their phones to have the ability to allow users to keep them longer.
I think Google will preach the mantra of Android openness until Larry Page is blue in the face, but in the end the handset makers and the wireless companies that sell the hardware will do what is best for them, and not for Google.
Android will continue to evolve. Unfortunately, it will be considered the Windows of the mobile realm, while Apple's iOS will continue to be regarded as the gold-standard.
Go to the first post. The people who purchase an Android phone don't even know Marketplace exists, let alone any of the other issues you mention.
I assume a good number of android users expect their apps to be free. Plus isn't android not allowed to sell apps in some markets?
You're assumption is correct. I have a Droid and so do many of my friends, I thread the market very carefully and only get apps that come highly recommended from various sites and whenever I show my friends a app I think they should get I always get the "is it free?" reply.
I think Google made a big mistake by allowing the market to be so open. Its going to take much more work to weed out bad apps than if they had the pre-approval process to begin with. A somewhat open OS was a good idea a open and free marketplace was not.
My brother just got an Android phone on Cricket. He has not set up his GMail account on it yet because he can't figure out how. He called me and asked me how he can get iPhone apps on his phone. He "chose" an Android phone because:
1. It was free.
2. He was told he needed a "smart phone".
The networks are selling Android like crazy to anyone - whether or not they even know what the heck to do with it.
I know this is just one example (I have a few other more tech-savvy friends who use the heck out of their Android phones - but two of them only use free-as-in-beer apps).
However: my wife, sister, daughter, niece, brother-in-law, and nephew all have iOS devices and buy apps regularly (my nephew just topped 500 apps).
Also, my other brother-in-law has a Windows phone 7 - and he can't figure out the windows app store, and we couldn't get app store gift cards for him for Christmas - while every iOS user we know got iTunes gift cards in their stockings...
Anecdote is not equal to fact. But it is something to think about...
Another problem keeping quality developers away is that every phone has different hardware specs!
Trying to develop an app for 4 different screen resolutions, different memory, cpus, etc. is near impossible.
Who has 20 different phones to test on???
I don't know how long this nonsense will continue to be voiced. You don't code to a device. You code to an API. One single version of my app works on 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. I haven't tested this on 2.3 yet, but I expect it to continue working. With every new release, I had to tweak it a bit (permissions, display size agnostic from 1.5-1.6) etc. If apps are coded properly without using absolute layouts and device independent pixels work just fine.
There is fragmentation in the Android world, but it's not from the developer's perspective. It's from the users' perspective when they can't upgrade to the latest OS version. This is definitely a problem and something that Google needs to fix - and fix soon.
The Android Market is indeed pretty sorry for app discovery and there are various problems with purchasing apps (lack of worldwide ability to pay, payment options etc). Reducing the return policy from 24 hours to 15 minutes hasn't helped. But the AppStore is no great shakes either. It also sucks, albeit a little less.
Comments
sorry Goggle but you ain't getting to 10 billion app downloads in this life time.
For users who don't want to be part of that ecosystem, at least there's a better alternative.
Maybe your app sucked. Maybe the magazine's content sucked. Maybe people looking for that sort of content are already aware of plenty of free websites to get the same content.
Honestly, your anecdote says absolutely nothing about Android users.
No kidding. Why pay for "sexy Latinas" content? Go to Google, turn off safe search, click images and search for "sexy latinas" and I bet you get content that is as good or better for free.
People will pay for apps if there is a compelling reason to do so. I will pay for a GPS app if it is better than the free ones in a way that is meaningful to me. I will not pay for an app that at best duplicates what I already have or is a half backed mess.
If anything, Google has an issue with getting compelling high quality apps in the store and in front of potential customers. It is not a problem with Android customers not willing to spend $0.99 on an app. Many of them paid the same $199 for their Evo or DroidX that iPhone owners paid for their devices. The ones on Verizon are paying more for their monthly services. They will spend money if you give them something to spend it on.
Wow, now Google wants nicer apps? They've courted the 'volume' demographic (let's be Windows on the phone) and can't expect it to be as nice. Half of the users are too cheap to get the nicer phone (I'm looking at you, iPhone) and aren't suddenly going to start spending money on apps, the other half think everything should be free anyway and either won't pay or will pirate. Their users don't really care, Google will make money on ads, the hardware makers will have their razor-thin margins... everyone's happy.
For users who don't want to be part of that ecosystem, at least there's a better alternative.
You seem to think you know a lot about Android customers. Half are too cheap to get a nicer phone? What is that based on? Half wont pay for an app or will pirate them? Again what is your source? There are iPhone owners who are too cheap to upgrade to an iPhone4 and who pirate apps, but I would not take those facts and make up BS stats that say they are half the population.
More than half of Android customers in the US are on Verizon, the most expensive phone carrier. Yet these same peole are too cheap to buy an app? Really? They go for the volume demographic, and these people are also techno geeks who pirate apps? Really?
You are so blinded by bias you make no sense.
Ah, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it easier to install 'non-official' apps onto Android phones?
There is no such thing as non-official apps in the android world since they do not have an app store for offically approved apps. But more to the point, it is not very hard to jailbreak an iOS device and install pirated apps either. A small number of jailbreakers do it, but it is far from the norm on iOS and I doubt it is that widespread on Android either.
When you read most review of the free Android apps people get pissed with all the ad placements. You some time see that with iOS apps as well. This is why Apple was not real keen on doing ad placements.
Will the openness fanatics who have been championing Android commit harakiri once word gets out that Google will start, omigod, curating the Android app store?
The games on android are either too boring or already sold on iPhone app store.
No, that can't possibly be the reason! Are you sure you are not a cheap pirate? I read here on AI that Android users are cheap pirates, it must be true.
Ha, so much for "the beauty of the Android App Store is in its openness" or words to that effect by Eric Schmidt.
Will the openness fanatics who have been championing Android commit harakiri once word gets out that Google will start, omigod, curating the Android app store?
No, they didn't kill themselves when Motorolla locked down the OS, so why would they care if Google locks down the store. Besides, they can still get crappy apps from other stores. Android does not lock yopu into the one and only one store model...yet.
Why would any conscious-thinking person buy a trash and install on a smartphone, especially when most are filled with ads?
I wouldn't. Open source means open door. And when the door is wide open with no guard, anything goes.
Good luck to you Android fans. I wouldn't use one even if it is free.
I love my iPhones since 2007.
Funny cause I have a NYTimes app on my iPhone that constantly crashes and is full of ads.
I always considered the cesspool called Marketplace to be the wild-west of apps. It's a place where anarchy rules and no one is watching the store.
With the fragmentation problems Android is having (yes, it is real), the malware issues going on, the lack of any reliable payment system for developers, it is no wonder at all that the real players are not porting their apps here. The hardcore phandroids think it's the perfect model of choice for consumers, when the consumers in general look at it as a mess and something only for nerds. I've used Android. Had Apple never been in the game, it obviously would be the OS to use. However, it's a shame to see how sloppy and poorly implemented this system/ecosystem has become.
Motorola is already making it worse with the locking-down of their handsets to prevent OS upgrades, further causing a rift in OS fragmentations. The handset makers have ZERO incentive to upgrade the OS devices due to their business model. They make money on making handsets and do not want their phones to have the ability to allow users to keep them longer.
I think Google will preach the mantra of Android openness until Larry Page is blue in the face, but in the end the handset makers and the wireless companies that sell the hardware will do what is best for them, and not for Google.
Android will continue to evolve. Unfortunately, it will be considered the Windows of the mobile realm, while Apple's iOS will continue to be regarded as the gold-standard.
Go to the first post. The people who purchase an Android phone don't even know Marketplace exists, let alone any of the other issues you mention.
I assume a good number of android users expect their apps to be free. Plus isn't android not allowed to sell apps in some markets?
You're assumption is correct. I have a Droid and so do many of my friends, I thread the market very carefully and only get apps that come highly recommended from various sites and whenever I show my friends a app I think they should get I always get the "is it free?" reply.
I think Google made a big mistake by allowing the market to be so open. Its going to take much more work to weed out bad apps than if they had the pre-approval process to begin with. A somewhat open OS was a good idea a open and free marketplace was not.
Ah, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it easier to install 'non-official' apps onto Android phones?
Except for the Android phones on ATT it is very easy to install apps not on the market. ATT disabled that option on their Android phones.
My brother just got an Android phone on Cricket. He has not set up his GMail account on it yet because he can't figure out how. He called me and asked me how he can get iPhone apps on his phone. He "chose" an Android phone because:
1. It was free.
2. He was told he needed a "smart phone".
The networks are selling Android like crazy to anyone - whether or not they even know what the heck to do with it.
I know this is just one example (I have a few other more tech-savvy friends who use the heck out of their Android phones - but two of them only use free-as-in-beer apps).
However: my wife, sister, daughter, niece, brother-in-law, and nephew all have iOS devices and buy apps regularly (my nephew just topped 500 apps).
Also, my other brother-in-law has a Windows phone 7 - and he can't figure out the windows app store, and we couldn't get app store gift cards for him for Christmas - while every iOS user we know got iTunes gift cards in their stockings...
Anecdote is not equal to fact. But it is something to think about...
Another problem keeping quality developers away is that every phone has different hardware specs!
Trying to develop an app for 4 different screen resolutions, different memory, cpus, etc. is near impossible.
Who has 20 different phones to test on???
I don't know how long this nonsense will continue to be voiced. You don't code to a device. You code to an API. One single version of my app works on 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. I haven't tested this on 2.3 yet, but I expect it to continue working. With every new release, I had to tweak it a bit (permissions, display size agnostic from 1.5-1.6) etc. If apps are coded properly without using absolute layouts and device independent pixels work just fine.
There is fragmentation in the Android world, but it's not from the developer's perspective. It's from the users' perspective when they can't upgrade to the latest OS version. This is definitely a problem and something that Google needs to fix - and fix soon.
The Android Market is indeed pretty sorry for app discovery and there are various problems with purchasing apps (lack of worldwide ability to pay, payment options etc). Reducing the return policy from 24 hours to 15 minutes hasn't helped. But the AppStore is no great shakes either. It also sucks, albeit a little less.