21 3 / 2013
The Road to Android: Strategy and Planning
Deciding to launch MAZ Android Apps was a BIG decision. We’re still a lean startup, and projects like this require the whole team to put in a huge amount of time, attention, and effort to make them happen. Our growth depends on us addressing compelling demands when they hit a crescendo, and that time for Android has finally come.
So why Android tablets? Why now? Well, the answer comes from one simple truth: people have started to buy the things. Consumers are demanding content from their favorite publishers, and “your operating system hasn’t historically been a profitable platform” doesn’t cut it anymore.
We’ve heard the strongest calls from our clients with paid content. Nobody is expecting the same level of profits they’re making from iOS, but there is money to be made. It doesn’t matter which platform is “winning,” we’ve crossed a tipping point where there are enough interested readers using Android to make it worthwhile.
Let’s be clear, though: Android is still a riskier venture than iOS for paid content. There is even more of a reason not to invest too much time and energy into it until you have tested the waters a bit. We want to make sure that publishing to Android is easy. And fast. Really, really easy, and really, really fast.
So that’s what we’ve built - a multi-platform solution that doesn’t put any more work on the publisher’s plate. You do the same work going in, but you get more going out.
Readers are going to love their favorite publications on Android, our publishers are going to love the newfound revenue and ease of publishing across multiple platforms, and we at MAZ are going to learn a whole lot in the process.
The time has come for Android at MAZ. Here we go!
21 11 / 2011
Apple's Paid Content Market Share Blows Android Away
- Since its inception, Google’s (GOOG) Android Market Place has generated about 7% of the gross revenue of Apple’s App Store.
- Apple (AAPL) has about 85% to 90% market share of the total dollars spent on mobile apps.
- Only 1.3% of Android apps are paid, compared with 13.5% of iPhone’s.
- Apple developers have made more than $3.4 billion since 2011, compared with less than $240 million for Google developers.
- Although Android is likely to grow its smartphone market share faster, Apple will probably maintain a 70%+ share of mobile app dollars spent over the next 3 or 4 years.
I have always known this in a general way, and have even made reference when explaining to clients why we don’t develop for non-iOS platforms (yet).
Now I have some concrete numbers to relay, and they are truly striking.
It’s a vicious cycle: not enough quality content on Android, so nobody buys, developers don’t make quality content because no one is buying, and so on.
This study shows that over next 3-4 years, Apple will maintain 70+%. That other 30% is still A LOT of people, and certainly worth exploring, but it’s hard to justify development now when the vast majority of money is being spent on iOS content, especially because whatever you develop now will be outdated so quickly anyway.
It’s not just the upfront dev costs, but the ongoing saga of keeping up with the times on multiple platforms.
Glad to have some data to justify what my gut has said for a while.
Permalink 6 notes
