subject: Some Thoughts on Mobile Platforms and Their Developers [print this page] Some Thoughts on Mobile Platforms and Their Developers
Apple has learnt many lessons since its rivalry with Microsoft that took place in the 90-s. the most valuable experience is, no doubt, relations with developers who should be cared for and looked after. Having neglected that in the past when Apple broke the promised milestones and changed the roadmaps in the process and even tried to compete with its own developers, now Apple is following another route. iPhone developers got a very distinct set of rules that regulate the development activity. SDK suites that contain all the necessary tools to create a quality and successful iPhone application are released regularly and are available for the members of the iPhone Developer Program. Special seminars or webinars are hold by Apple engineers to ensure the ultimate quality of the Apple's products. Many would say that the company cares more about its profits which could be damaged if the customers were not satisfied with the front-end product. But even not being the primary target of the company's worship Apple developers benefit from it.
Highlighting the developments of Apple, some analysts usually stress the inability of Google to build the same relation pattern with Android developers, which seems quite a roughly underestimate of the company and its policy. Andy Rubin, the VP of Google which has recently delivered to the market the latest iteration of the Android OS, called Froyo, is very concern of developers needs and their comfort. Froyo seems to be the last but one release that comes twice a year. As starting from the following year the company will launch only one iteration a year. It's quite a reasonable deed as developers must have some time to get used to a new iteration, use its abilities to the very end. A fast moving platform makes it hard for developers to keep up. It's quite natural for a company to create for its developers conditions when they can leverage from the innovation but not try to predict it.
Slowing down release frequency can be caused by the fragmentation issue which threatens the Android market at the moment. Six major releases of the platform in little more than a year and a half seem a bit too many. As they provide a drastic amount of revision for developers, OEMs and front-end customers to deal with. According to Google's own data, three of these revisions are still in wide use: Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.1. though the latter clair dominates the market accounting for about 45,1%. Such a diversion is inevitable and is the consequence of the Android geeky origin. Becoming more mainstream the Android will no doubt care more and provide more certainty for its developers at the same time loosing the freak air which was its main feature.
