Why there aren't more Android tablet apps, by the numbers
Summary: The lack of quality apps for Android tablets is simply a numbers game, and it's not changing any time soon.
The Android Market, now known as Google Play, is full of apps. The problem many tablet owners discover is that not very many of those apps are optimized for the bigger devices. While many apps written for the smartphone screen work fine on the tablet, they aren't written to take advantage of the larger display on tablets.
Many app developers lack the resources to write apps for two platforms, and a lot of them are choosing to develop for the iPad. App developers have many reasons for building apps for the iPad instead of Android tablets, and it is simply a numbers game.
See also: Great Debate: Will Android tablets always play second fiddle to the iPad?
Too many Android variants
One important number factoring in the choice of platform for developers recently came to light when a game developer announced he was pulling out of Android development. There are too many versions of Android to support, even on tablets, and too many hardware variants to easily make code work properly.
There are tablets running Snapdragon processors, and others using Nvidia Tegra processors. Code has to work on all of them, making both the development and support costs much higher than for the single iPad. That game developer stated they spend 20 percent of their time supporting Android, and it's only generating 5 percent of their revenue. The numbers don't add up for Android app developers.
One set of hardware and one OS to support is much easier than working in the vast Android wilderness. I believe we'll see a mass defection from Android soon, as developers continue to jump ship to the iPad.
iPad sales are leaving Android in the dust
The iPad is doing well in the market, far better than Android. Apple sold three million iPads in just three days after launch. That's also how many iPads are sold every quarter. Contrast that figure with the 12 million total Android tablets sold (ever) and you understand why mobile app developers would be crazy to develop for anything other than the iPad.
Those three million iPads sold in days and that wasn't even a global launch of the new tablet from Apple. The iPad will be going on sale in 24 more countries soon, which will no doubt result in millions of additional sales. The iPad is blowing Android tablets out of the water, and it's going to continue.
As a user of both the iPad and Android tablets, I can attest to how much better the app selection is for the iPad. There is literally an app (or several) for just about everything, and generally of far better quality than on the Android tablet. It is a situation that is likely to get even worse for Android, and there is nothing changing to improve that.
Related: Apple’s next-gen iPad: New battlefields emerge | Microsoft’s business pitch for Windows 8 depends on tablets | Apple’s New iPad In The Enterprise: Laptop Replacement Gets Closer | The new iPad’s great but what’s wrong with a good, inexpensive Android tablet? | CNET: New iPad hands on | CNET: All CNET iPad coverage (roundup) | iPad HD will surpass laptops on key features
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Talkback
Android tabs may be the next 'Chrome book'
Good Luck!
But windows Phone 7 holdsa a miniscule portion of the phone market, and Windows for ARM won't support legacy desktop apps. So the first Windows 8 fro ARM tablets are going to hit the shelves with very slim-pickins as far as an app ecosystem goes.
All I've got to say is: Office for ARM better be a danged good piece of software is Micrososft wants to stand a chance in that market.
And I say this as one who is eagerly awaiting the new Win 8 ARM tablets. I'm currently salivating over the new iPad and the Asus Transformer Prime, but I'd love for there to be an offering from Redmond in the mix before I buy my next tablet (which is likely given how far I still have left to pay off my credit cards, LOL!)
While I hate the Win 8 Preview...
I don't doubt that it will be successful (at least on tablets).
Win 8 may run Android Apps
Bluestacks...
I couldntare less about an ARM tablet, I'm anxious to get an Intel tablet
MS
When Microsoft entered the console market, they were willing to sink millions into paying developers to write games. They bought Bungie to get them to develop Halo for XBox rather than Mac.
It was a similar story with Sony - first party titles, and paying developers to keep certain titles exclusive to Playstation.
It's pretty obvious they will produce a tablet optimised Office, and I think they're going to compete hard to make their App marketplace work (as in generate money for developers).
Google, on the other hand, don't seem willing to put money behind developing apps. The problem with that attitude is that there is nothing to compare with Garageband, iMovie, Keynote and Pages.
And I think it's notable that most of the apps that really showcase the iPad are first party. Most people don't buy computers because of the operating system, but because of the applications.
That is something Microsoft have always understood. Apple, also - before their comeback they made sure that acquisitions like Logic, Final Cut and Shake became Mac only, and also bundling in iLife with the Mac.
Google - I just don't know - a party-line that Google Docs has to be seen as a real rival to iWork and Office, so no native office suite? A philosophical hostility to the notion of selling software?? A hostility to native software, full stop??
Not a MS fan myself but I do get good use out of my
Pagan jim
Android tablets aren't going anywhere.
.
James doesn't get it...
1. require every Android device use some configuration of a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio.
2. Unify the code of the phone and the tablet.
What this does is gets apps written for standards like 720P and 1080P that look equally as sharp on both phones and tablets while the output is compatible with HDTVs.
Also, Fragmentation is laregly a myth, it takes a few mpre months to get the devices updated as vendors optimize the OS to suit their branding but within 6 Months we will see the majority of devices on ICS.
Basically, a Win for Android Phones will be a Win for Android Tablets and the reverse is also true.
Also
It's already been 4 months and it's at about 2%
Also..
0. Get Google's spyware on every Android device.
Android is going to the waste bin
Most people buy tablets, different form the iPad for the hardware.
Google's agenda with Android is well known: get their spyware on as many devices as possible. Some, most notably enterprises do not buy into this.
This all hurts tablet manufacturers, other than Amazon and B&N, because if you don't like Android (because of Google), you won't buy from Samsung - period.
There is apparently solution to this problem. The solution is for the mainstream Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu to come to tablets.
Once one of the larger "Adnroid" tablet manufacturers start shipping their tablets with Ubuntu, Android is dead.
Google's Android vs Apple'iOs
A closed system will die in the long run.
Market share anybody?
No fanboy stuff, just my personal opinion. ;)
Growth
Not as simple as it seems
Unless an Ipad app is truly very unique it is competing with tens or hundreds of other similar apps and it can be difficult to be distinguished and get many sales.
On Android with a smaller number of tablet apps available it is easier to get your product noticed and get market share and get established as a must have app.
So it could be possible to sell more apps in Android Play than in the App store.
Yeah that argument has been an EPIC FAIL in the real world. ipad/iphone