The difference between android market users and apple app store users

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so after having some success building some apps for the ipad and iphone i converted some of them to the android platform and joined the android market.

My download rate on the android market is almost non existent though.

I put a free app on the apple app store and in 5 days i had 10,000 downloads of it. On android in the same time i have had 194.

I regularly get a minimum of 20 downloads of my paid for apps every day on the apple app store, and have had up to 85 downloads in one day. on android i have had 4 downloads of my paid apps in one week.

I've spoke to other developers and they say the same thing, they usually get 10 times the number of downloads on the apple app store to android.

So what makes such a difference? why are android users in general not downloading as much content as iphone and ipad users?
 
I'm guessing, but would assume it's purely a numbers game - more iPhone users and more familiar with 'apps'.
 
I would also guess that there are 10 more apple users out there than android!

Jordan
 
I think in a lot of ways the apple app store favours developers whereas the android market favours the user.

In android you can try the application out and within 15 minutes if you don't like it you can get a refund - this is good for the user and the developer really because it means if someone thinks an app was rubbish they are more likely to get a refund and not rate it, whereas on the apple app store they just give a poor rating.

But on the android market you can't give something away fro free and then at a later date change it to a fee item. Once it is free it has to always be free - this stops you putting an app out there, getting lots of downloads and feedback to tweak it, or get lots more reviews and then charge for it once it has established itself.

There is also no keywords search input when you upload an app on android like there is on the app store.
 
Apple make money from Apps - everything is designed to sell apps, and have a device full of Apps. The device is specifically designed with apps in mind. So in terms of Apps - iOS and iphones are more friendly for users/developers/apple.

Android has the problem that many devices use android, they do not all use the same versions, they do not all have the same hardware. Android app's aren't a big thing for Google, and Android apps aren't massively advertised as much. Not all devices are designed with apps in mind etc, and the Android Market isn't as highly developed and focused on as the apple equivalent. It's a more functional use rather than designed to make people buy apps.
 
^ that's the crunch really. The App Store is a central part of the iOS business model, whereas for Google the attraction of Android is more the connection and incorporation of Google services into a smartphone platform than a revenue generating app store.
 
I think thats a good description. Making an app for an iOS device is soooo much easier than for android, there are tons of different aspect ratios on android and it's hard to make your content fit those ratios perfectly. With iOS you only have two different ratios and then you have the option of creating your app specific for the retina display. It's much much easier.

Also I heard that most iOS users already have a credit card with apple for using itunes and so buying apps is so easy, whereas many android users never set up an account and like you say rarely look for apps.
 
From memory, your apps are aimed at early learning. As there aren't many Android tabs out there yet, I think most users of Android are on phones. I'd have thought those with phones wouldn't use them as a learning device for their kids.

All pure speculation of course ;) :D
 
i thought the same actually and would agree except my most succesful app on the app store which gets between 10 and 20 downloads a day is actually a word game not for early learning and in 4 days it has been on android it got 2 downloads and on app store have had around 60, the first 2 days i put it on app store it got 150 odd downloads
 
Things will change with Android.

Up until recently Android users have been tech savvy and only install the apps they have a real need for. This was partly due to the way apps were stored and the limited memory for that on the phones.

There are ways now to move them to other memory, but again you need to be tech savvy as they need a rooted phone. Phone manufacturers are starting to get the picture though and are increasing the amount of memory.

Apple users have tended to be much more willing to install lots of applications even though they will never really use them. So although a lot more downloads may have been made, there may in reality be no more usage.

Android also has a lot more free apps and users are more willing to have add supported applications than Apple users.

Then you have how people hear about them. In the Apple space it tends to be through iTunes, whereas in the Android space it is 3rd party websites and word and mouth through the likes of Twitter etc.
 
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