In a recent survey, developers have hinted that developing for Android can be a bit of a problem. The reason for this is due to the fragmentation of the OS and the Android Market.
The main key points from the survey mention that device fragmentation was a huge (or meaningful) problem for 56% of developers. This number has increased over the last few months as well. Also, the break up of various Android app stores such as the official Android Market and the Amazon App Store is also another concern for developers. It seems like a good percentage want a single experience, just like the Apple App Store provides.
Other problems indicate a problem with the ability to get paid as well as app visibility and ease of development, although Android almost matched the ease of development when compared to iOS.
One problem with the research is that numbers can be made to represent something. Android fans and developers might argue against, just like iOS fans and developers would argue if iOS was seen to be lagging. Either way, both platforms are doing relatively well.
One comment over on CNN had something interesting to point out:
As an Android developer with over 30,000 downloads I can say that “fragmentation” is a problem, but its a problem in the same way the CSS browser incompatibly is a problem. David Shellabarger, Chattanooga
So yes, fragmentation might be there, but it isn’t a new problem so to speak.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.