Survey: Developers prefer iOS over Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Jun 2012 5:07 User comments (9)

Although it is a relatively well known fact, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster conducted a recent survey to see what mobile operating system is most popular with developers.

After surveying 100 developers at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the consensus was that iOS was the most preferable.

"iOS was the clear favorite in two categories: ease of development and future revenue growth," said Munster. "Among the 55 developers who work with both operating systems, 84% said iOS was best for ease of development, with Android at 5%, Windows at 2% and 9% unsure."

While all the devs at the event (unsurprisingly) coded for Apple, 55 percent also coded apps for Android, with 14 percent coding for Windows and another 9 percent writing BlackBerry software.

Most importantly for the devs, 64 percent believed iOS offered the highest future revenue potential, with only 5 percent saying the same for Android.

Tags: Android apps iOS Survey Developers

<Facebook buys Face.com for $100 million >Microsoft's unveils 'Surface' Windows tablet with multitouch keyboard

9 user comments

118.6.2012 17:35

Tazer247

Send private message to this user

Member

LOL at biased data.

218.6.2012 17:42

Jackal1234

Send private message to this user

Newbie

if you go to an android conference, i bet the majority of the devs there prefer it over apple! surprise, surprise

318.6.2012 21:49

greenacre

Send private message to this user

Newbie

It makes sense somehow given that android programmers have to test their apps on different mobile devices with different configurations while ios programmers have to program to only a few resolutions/hardware. Still, even if they prefer ios, it doesnt mean that they wont produce apps for android anyway since its still money.

418.6.2012 23:18

KillerBug

Send private message to this user

AfterDawn Addict

Android really is harder...so many different hardware configurations, resolutions, and custom distros...it's practically impossible to test for everyone. Plus, Apple users are not savvy consumers, so they are more likely to buy bad apps for high prices.

519.6.2012 13:36

2001team

Send private message to this user

Newbie

You also have to remember that Apple users are more likely to pay for apps whereas Android users usually do not. I have had both devices and had to pay for Angry Birds and with Android, it was free but ad supported. Its also so much easier developing apps for iOS as there is so little variables to consider such as skins and hardware differences.

619.6.2012 14:22

LordRuss

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Originally posted by KillerBug:
Android really is harder...so many different hardware configurations, resolutions, and custom distros...it's practically impossible to test for everyone. Plus, Apple users are not savvy consumers, so they are more likely to buy bad apps for high prices.

Kinda like feeding the console market as apposed to the PC market.

I just know I'm gonna take heat for this one...

719.6.2012 17:07

xnonsuchx

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Part of the issue is that Android is geared more towards web developers while iOS is geared more towards 'traditional' programmers. I've talked to a few people that develop for both who've said between an iPhone and a Android phone w/ similar specs, their iOS version of an app runs faster than the Android version.

820.6.2012 07:54

yussef

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

"at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)"

talk about biased data...

I have to go 'wow' to the fact this actually classifies as news these days...

921.6.2012 04:18

Lethal_B

Send private message to this user

Moderator

iOS is where the money's at.

The Play Store is good for making a name for yourself, (that is, of course, if your app isn't complete codswallop), but a decent app can yield a decent return for you (and Apple) over at the App Store.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

	YouTube Premium starts showing ads to subscribers (13 Nov 2024 3:09) For years, YouTube Premium has been marketed as a way to enjoy an ad-free YouTube experience. But apparently, that is no longer the case, as Premium subscribers are now starting to see ads on the platform. 3 user comments
	Android 16 will launch sooner than expected (01 Nov 2024 6:45) Google announced that upcoming Android 16 will break the traditional once-a-year cycle of major Android launches. Next Android is poised to launch in Q2 of 2025, so Android 16 should ship before end of June, 2025.
	Winamp ends its "open source" project that wasn't really open source (20 Oct 2024 11:12) Less than a month after the legendary MP3 player Winamp made its source code public, the company has made a sudden U-turn and removed its code from distribution. 2 user comments
	Winamp released its source code - but didn't go open source (25 Sep 2024 12:38) The source code of Winamp has now been officially released. However, it hasn't become a pure open-source project, as its licensing terms prohibit the creation of new, different versions.
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens (25 Aug 2024 8:30) When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments

	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment
	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	What happens if you don't update Android? Sometimes it can be tempting to avoid updating to a new Android version. What happens if you decide to delay major updates to the OS?

Survey: Developers prefer iOS over Android

9 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review - obstacle avoidance doesn't work as it should, otherwise almost perfect robot vacuum We put the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra through a very, very long review process. The $1800 mopping robot vacuum is almost perfect, but its obstacle avoidance was surprisingly bad, considering the price - and compared to its competitors.
	Sharge x OnePlus Pouch review: Beautiful power bank that supports SuperVOOC charging In our review, we take a look at Sharge's power bank that supports OnePlus SuperVOOC quick charging technology as well as standard USB PD charging. It has small design flaws, but despite those, the Pouch is very nice product. 1 user comment
	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.