Why do iPhone apps look so much better than Android apps?

One question we often get asked is why the Android version of most original iPhone apps looks so bad in terms of design and feel. A quick comparison reveals that even Facebook has failed to develop an Android app which is anywhere close to the iPhone equivalent.

Facebook example

Facebook app on Android

Facebook app on iPhone

              

Strengths and weaknesses

	good	bad
iPhone	Great combination of facebook look and feel and utilizing the iPhone app design principle	No option to show time and coverage while using the app
Android	Nothing better than the iPhone	Icons look old, not correctly sized and the colour schemes don´t seem consistent with the Facebook website or Android design Search requires two clicks In notifications, links open up the browser

Why is there such a big difference? Is this simply because Apple is so brilliant in terms of design? But why would Google with their simplicity and great usability across most online services not be able to take their skills to the mobile? Is there another explanation?

To answer the question we've looked at 3 different factors including the SDKs, the developers and the expectations.

1. SDKs and approval process

The main purpose of the iPhone SDK and App Store approval process is that Apple has signification control of the user experience, therefore they provided a framework for developing "standard" looking UIs. Google on the other hand took a much more liberal approach with Android arguing that developers should have total freedom in almost everything they do. Although Apple has loosened up requirements since the app market's inception, the effects of the original approach are still very obvious.

2. The developers

This is going to be a sensitive one but the truth is that most iPhone developers were originally web designers / developers with HTML, Java Script, CSS and maybe flash experience. They are usually not hard core coders. This means that they are very focused on the look and feel of a product.

Most Android developers on the other hand are Java developers with a background in coding PC applications and other more technical coding experience. Apple made iPhone development as easy as Microsoft made PC development with Visual Basic which means that the creative and design centric people can make their own apps without deep coding knowledge.

3. Expectations

In addition to this there are different expectations from users. Historically, Apple customers have been more interested in fashion and design whereas Android originally had a perception of being more techie. With both operating systems now reaching a much wider audience this is no longer true but maybe the expectations are still different between users. Despite the big differences between the iPhone version and Android version of the facebook app they both have the same rating (3.5)

So does it have to be this way?

The answer is simply NO. The Android operating system has the same capabilities as iPhone to create great looking apps even though the UI framework doesn't go as far. The only people to blame for the deficiencies in Android apps are the individuals and businesses developing the apps. In an attempt to assure that every Android app developed looks at least as good as the equivalent iPhone version, Golden Gekko has developed an own UI framework that simplifies the creation of graphics and improves therefore the outcome, This way Android apps do not fall short on iPhone apps and the results speak for themselves.

Cross platform mobile app development methods for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Java

Cross-platform support is one of the greatest challenges for developers, advertisers and service providers that offer their service through mobile apps. During the past 4 years we have evaluated the pros and cons of different cross platform development methods and tools and assorted the key advantages for a company from an app development point of view. The main methods and conclusions are presented below.

1. Web runtime apps (sometimes referred to as widgets)

For web runtime apps (sometimes referred to as widgets) the development is done in script languages typically using HTML, Javascript and CSS. Later they run within a shell on each platform (iOS, Android, Blackberry OS, etc). Solutions, such as Phonegap (adaptations thereof and other in-house tools) using this technology will only work for simple apps and are always behind in terms of supporting new OS versions and devices. The advantage is write once / run on many but the disadvantage is that most proprietary features won't work, e.g. pinching on maps on the iPhone. This is the lowest cost solution other than just developing a mobile website.

2. Source code porting

Source code porting means writing for one platform (e.g. Java) and then cross-compiling the code to other languages or OS. Innaworks is an example for a company using this technology. Although it looks very promising at first, we think that this is primarily a solution for game developers that don't require proprietary platform support. The advantage is that the developer can stick to one code base. The disadvantage is that the user experience usually becomes a compromise and that proprietary platform functionality is not supported.

3. Native development for each platform

Native development means to develop the app individually for each platform. Usually the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile development will be done by different developers as each platform requires specialised skills and experience. The advantage however is that the apps are optimised for the best experience and
to exploit the functionality on each platform. The disadvantage is that, for each platform version of the app, the developer almost has to start over from scratch. This generally means very limited synergies in terms of cost and lead time. Even worse, the maintenance of the multiple platforms become more and more expensive over time.

4. Component based cross platform development

What developers want the most are tools and methods to make the native development and app maintenance more efficient. Golden Gekko has developed a proprietary platform called Mobile Media Engine (MME). It simplifies the development by though components for common challenges such as memory management on iOS, screen size scaling on Android, User Interface on Android (similar to iOS but with platform specific advantages), keyboard input on Blackberry, etc. The components allow the developer to use similar coding conventions across all platforms which vastly increases the quality and speed of development. At the same time it reduces the cost of maintenance when updating multiple platforms. Currently this platform is only used internally but in the future we plan to open this up for partners and third party developers.

For more information about the cost of mobile app development for each platform see our previous blog on the costs of developing a mobile app.

O2 expands into the world of apps with Golden Gekko

O2 Media has formed a strategic partnership with Golden Gekko, the leading developer of creative mobile marketing applications and widgets in Europe and North America.

The partnership will allow O2 to extend its capabilities and offer further unique and engaging products and services within the fast growing mobile advertising space. In addition to the services O2 media currently provides, from now on it will be able to offer a range of products from building mobile sites to developing mobile applications. The move reflects a growing shift in the advertising industry from traditional, one dimensional media to more personalised, truly accountable and multi-faceted opportunities.

O2 Media was formed last year with the aim of providing personalised media opportunities for brands. Since its launch, over 1,000 successful campaigns companies have been deployed, including Adidas, Cadbury, Blockbuster and Interflora, leveraging O2’s unique customer data. Success stories include a NatWest campaign that targeted its app at iPhone owners which received a 26% response rate, while targeting families with teenage children gave Thorpe Park a near one-in-three download rate for its App. The company has since expanded into new areas, like Top Up Surprises and Priority, to offer brands unique and innovative solutions that stand out from the traditional clutter.

Shaun Gregory, Managing Director of O2 Media, said: “Brands are beginning to see the full potential of mobile, but it is a complex ecosystem with a multitude of emerging players. What makes us different at O2 is that we are developing the full end-to-end range of opportunities. This is an intelligent strategy that delivers the right solutions to unite customers and brands by putting equal importance on customer experience and campaign impact.

“Because we know our 22 million customers, we are in a unique position to deliver better, more engaging and thus more effective campaigns. Mobile is developing so fast that brands and agencies are seeking a guiding hand through that challenge. At O2 we see our role in that space as pivotal.”

Golden Gekko is the leading developer of cross platform mobile applications and services in Europe including award winning campaigns for Lynx, McLaren and Absolut Vodka. It provides a range of mobile application development choices, including bespoke development, tailored from the ground up to meet customer needs; an off-the-shelf product range available for customisation; and Tino Mobile App Studio, a web based tool that allows anyone to create their own mobile apps in five easy steps.

One of Golden Gekko's unique advantages is the platform GG Mobile Media Engine. It enables rapid, high quality, easy-to-use and cost efficient implementations of mobile applications across more than 3000 different mobile devices including iPhone, Android, Java, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile and Palm.

Magnus Jern, CEO and Founder of Golden Gekko said: “Production of content and services for mobile including apps, mobile websites and other creative has grown exponentially in the past two years with the proliferation of smartphones. It's no longer a question of having a presence on mobile but what kind of presence and how to generate the best results.

“By partnering with O2, we at Golden Gekko can leverage our experience and insights from delivering over 300 mobile apps and campaigns to give our clients advice on how to best achieve their desired objectives. O2 Media complements us perfectly as we can jointly deliver an end-to-end offering including creative, production, marketing and distribution of mobile services and campaigns to O2’s significant customer base.”

A team from Golden Gekko will join O2 Media at their offices on Ganton Street, Soho.

There´s an App for everyone!

Magnus Jern, CEO of Golden Gekko speaks at Ad:tech, London

Most major brands are already aware of the importance of mobile marketing and included mobile campaigns in their marketing plans. But as always, important is not only what you do but how you do it.

Magnus Jern, CEO of Golden Gekko will talk about challenges and opportunities of mobile applications at the Ad:tech in London. After 10 years of experience in mobile content he knows how to harness advantages and disadvantages of different platforms and development models. He will discuss how to choose them according to target group and objectives and what to consider in order to launch a successful mobile campaign.

The free seminars will take place on the show floor. “Mobile Marketing and Apps” is one of seven streams within the seminars and will feature Golden Gekko on Wednesday 22. Sept. at 12.30h.

http://bit.ly/9sSm8j

Throughout the entire conference Golden Gekko will inform about insights and achievements in the MMA Pavilion at stand nr. 8.

Let Jimmy Nordbeck, Marketing Director and Magnus Jern, CEO tell you, why everyone should have an app and how any business of any size can make the most out of mobile marketing. To make an appointment fill out the form from the link below or just pop around.

http://bit.ly/c0mshi

Golden Gekko at EADP Congress in Venice

15.-17. September the world’s largest players of the lead generation business are gathering for the yearly EADP Congress, featuring most of the most influential people in the directory business.

Golden Gekko's Ric Ferraro, VP Sales & Business Development and Jimmy Nordbeck, Marketing Director will be promoting MODISO, a new plug-and-play yet customisable mobile directory solution born out of Golden Gekko´s partnership with European Directories.

It is already successfully running in 8 countries and has now evolved into a proven tool for rapidly reaching success in the mobile space, generating substantial revenue increase every month.

For more information email modiso@goldengekko.com

How much does it cost to develop a mobile app on iPhone, Android and other platforms?

The most frequently asked question we hear about mobile app development is: "How much does it cost to develop a mobile app?"

The easiest way to answer will be with a counterquestion such as "How much does it cost to develop a website?" But this clearly is not very helpful. Although it is a difficult question to respond to we will make an attempt to give our clients and partners the answer they are entitled to.

The budgets quoted here are based on the costs of outsourced development. Our experience and feedback from clients is that this is almost always cheaper than in-house development when taking into account total costs of internal resources including specification, wireframes, design, planning, development, several delivery iterations and quality assurance.

1. Developing an app for iPhone only

iPhone is the easiest platform to develop for to start with. The UI is well defined, the development tools are great for creating apps with basic content and web feeds and the more advanced functionalities are well documented. More advanced iPhone apps with back-end integration, non-standard animations and apps with a lot of media handling require completely different development skills and therefore developers with many years of programming experience.

Budget for:

• Simple apps: 10-20.000 euro
• Average cost of branded apps: 30.000 euro
• Advanced apps 60.000+ euro

The costs of iPad apps are currently slightly higher as they require even more finishing work on the UI.

2. Developing an app for Android only

Developing good looking Android apps is considerably more difficult than iPhone apps. The main reason is that the SDK provides less default UI components which means that you can basically make the apps look however you want (more about this in a separate blog). In addition to this, Android is more designed for developers with several years of experience in programming Java, whereas iPhone requires very little to start with. For more advanced apps and games the complexity is the same or you might actually consider Android to be purer. Furthermore there are differences in the development language. Android has more fragmentation as there are currently 10 handset manufacturers with over 80 devices that use Android in comparison to only one for iPhone. There are also 4 different screen resolutions (starting at 240x320), more input mechanisms (e.g. Qwerty keyboards) and multiple OS versions that need to be supported. Therefore the QA period is usually about 1-2 weeks longer for Android and more resource intensive.

Budget for:

• Simple apps: 15-25.000 euro
• Average cost of branded apps: 40.000 euro
• Advanced apps 60.000+ euro

3. Developing for Blackberry only

The complexity and cost of developing for Blackberry are similar to Android. Some of the challenges to face are the many OS versions currently running, the range of screen resolutions and the requirement to cover both touch screen and Qwerty keyboards.

Budget for:

• Simple apps: 15-25.000 euro
• Average cost of branded apps: 40.000 euro
• Advanced apps 60.000+ euro

4. Cross platform development for iPhone and Android

With normal coding standards there is very little synergy between Android and iPhone development and few developers that can develop for both in a proficient manner. This means that most of the time the costs are the same for the second platform as for the first platform, excluding functional specification. Even the user flows and designs are different since Android uses the menu key and back button differently and supports multitasking on all devices.

There are various different ways to reduce the cost of cross platform development (see our blog next week on this subject). During the last couple of years Golden Gekko has taken on this challenge and tried all methods. We have finally developed our own framework for more efficient development of native apps for each platform. This currently reduces the average cost by more than 30% for the second platform but the goal is to fall below 50% in the long term and at the same time vastly reduce ongoing maintenance costs. In some cases we were already able to do so by compromising on user experience and functionality.

Budget for:

• Simple apps: 20-37.000 euro
• Average apps: 58.000 euro
• Advanced apps: 100.000+ euro

5. Other platforms

• WebOS (Palm) and other Web Runtime platforms (JIL, Opera, OVI, etc) – Budgets are similar to iPhone development to cover one platform and comparable to Android to launch web based apps on multiple platforms

• Windows Mobile – Budgets are similar to iPhone to support one OS version (e.g. 6.5) as Microsoft provides great development tools and closer to Android for multiple OS versions

• Symbian – The 2nd most complex platform for development due to lack of skilled developers, slightly out of date SDK and complexity of e.g. memory management . This means that the budgets are currently 30% higher than e.g. Android

• Java ME – Budgets are similar to Android with the platforms used by Golden Gekko but with higher QA cost depending on the number of target devices for each market

• Meego/Qt – Too early to tell but we believe budgets will be similar to Android

• Samsung Bada – The most complex platform to develop for due to lack of maturity of the SDK. We currently recommend using Java ME on Samsung Bada phones

Update version:

For an updated version of this blog please visit:
http://goldengekko.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-what-is-cost-of-developing.html