Developers still favouring iOS over Android in app battle

iOS app development still ruling the roost over Android
iOS is still the weapon of choice for most developers

Android may boast more phones in hands than Apple, but the Cupertino firm is still winning the application race.

New stats courtesy of Flurry Analytics reveal that developers are still favouring Apple's iOS platform over Google's Android offering, as a starting bed for new apps.

In fact in the first quarter of 2012, 69% of app projects were started on iOS, while Android saw 31% of apps start life on its platform.

Google gets caught out

IntoMobile raised this point yesterday, after highlighting what Eric Schmidt said back in December, as the Google chariman predicted that in six months time Android would be the number one choice for devs – citing the reason for the shift would be down to volume.

Six months is up and we're yet to see a mass exodus of developers from iOS to Android – although there is slow growth in Android's favour which saw its share grow by 4% from the previous quarter.

The report used information from over 70,000 companies, 185,000 apps and 100 million unique devices – so it's pretty darn accurate in our eyes.

One of the main reasons we havn't seen the shift Schmidt predicted is the huge number of different Android devices available today, with different screen sizes and power capabilities.

This makes it difficult for developers to ensure their application works on every one, where as Apple's static range of devices is far more manageable.

From InToMobile

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.